


Unfair

by MerryLilHobbit



Series: Life at the Hotel Transylvania [2]
Category: Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Miscarriage, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-20
Updated: 2015-10-20
Packaged: 2018-04-27 06:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 92,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5038006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MerryLilHobbit/pseuds/MerryLilHobbit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on a drabble written in "A-Z of a Life". Life is very unfair sometimes - it shouldn't be, but it is. Over a hundred years later, Johnny and Mavis have a great life; they're both vampires, married and have three children. However, a guest with an unfair opinion soon changes everything. This will be kind of angsty, so...read with that in mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ages of Johnny and Mavis' children:
> 
> Lucy: 104 (similar to 15-16)
> 
> Jack: 91 (similar to 13-14)
> 
> Mina: 31 (similar to 5)

The April sky had darkened for the evening, moonlight casting shadows on Hotel Transylvania and those who currently resided inside of it. A few monsters were still in the downstairs dining room, eating breakfast, while others were already taking part in activities and scattered in various places around the establishment.

One little monster was already happily running and playing in the hotel corridor with her plush bat toy that evening. Count Dracula's youngest granddaughter, Mina, was more than used to the hotel and the way it was built, so she had no problem in finding her way to wherever she wanted.

Mina hummed as she pretend-flew the Martha bat around in the air with her arm and darted around a corridor. Normally her siblings or parents would play with her, and if they couldn't then she'd find a guest around her own age to do so with - her Grandpa was never too busy to play with her too. But that night, none of them had seemed to find the time to do so.

She couldn't help but stop running and frown to herself, bringing Martha-bat down from the air and hugging her tightly in her arms. Her parents and siblings had seemed distracted recently, but they wouldn't tell her why - apparently, she was too _young,_ too stupid and inexperienced in life to understand. But she wasn't, and she sort of knew about some of these things.

For a start, her elder sister was now a hundred-and-four - this meant Lucy was teen-aged and, for some reason, obsessed with love and boys and make-up and...Mina didn't really understand why, since most boys were icky to her. The only ones she could stand were her father, brother, grandfather and some of the other child guests at the hotel. Lucy also had a habit of sneaking out over the last few months, only to be caught red-handed by their parents - what she was doing, no one knew.

 _She keeps going on about finding her zing,_ Mina thought, rolling her brown eyes slightly. _Mommy and Daddy didn't meet until Mommy was a hundred-and-eighteen. There's so much time left!_

Then there was her older brother; Jack was sixty years older than her, and while he was still somewhat bearable and the same, he too had started being interested in the opposite sex. The thing that made him bearable to the youngest vampire child was the fact that he sill enjoyed reading and exploring - plus, he wasn't obsessed with finding a zing just yet like their sister.

_Thank Goodness, because it'd be too weird if they were both acting stupid._

Her Mommy and Daddy...she loved Johnny and Mavis with all her heart, of course. She was their baby, their youngest, and it was obvious that they both had somewhat of a soft spot for her - especially Johnny, who she already knew she had wrapped her around her tiny little pinky. Mina's favourite story to hear in the morning before going to bed was the one of how they'd met - it made her giggle and laugh, feeling content with the knowledge that she had two parents who loved each other.

 _They haven't been like that lately_ , She thought sadly, and looked at her bat in silent thought.

They'd been arguing quite a lot; the three children would hear it, eavesdropping from the top of the stairs when their parents thought they'd gone to sleep. It was about stupid things, from what they could hear - why Johnny hadn't done this when Mavis had asked him to, or why was Mavis so stressed out with her husband when it had nothing to do with him.

Mina didn't like these arguments at all: she didn't like hearing the loud yelling, hearing the nasty things when they were meant to be in love and happily married. She didn't like having to play on her own because her sister and brother were 'too busy' with their silly teenage stuff.

But maybe it'd be okay now; they were at their Grandpa's hotel. Mina brightened up at this thought. Coming to the hotel had always been one of her favourite things - the different guests each time, the food, the thrill of staying away from home...plus, Dracula _adored_ her (and her siblings too, but that was besides the point). He'd gotten her Martha-bat, and he always told her fun stories about her Grandma Martha who the bat was named after.

"If you ever want to hug your Grandmother," Dracula had told her again and again when he tucked her into bed while she was staying in the castle. "Then just hug your Martha-bat."

Mina felt like a hug at that moment, and squeezed the bat toy in her hands. She could almost imagine arms pulling her into a warm, maternal hug - a soft voice whispering that it'd be alright...she'd seen paintings of the real Martha, and she could imagine her beautiful face smiling at her kindly.

 _Hey, maybe I could get Grandpa Drac to sort it out,_ She thought, and immediately took off down the corridor again to head upstairs to Dracula's office. If there was one person in the entire world she could rely on to solve any problem regarding her family, it was Count Dracula.

* * *

Lucy quickly ducked out of sight as a group of human boys rounded the corner and walked out into the street. _Hmm..._ She thought to herself distastefully. _These ones are not so attractive...what is that bitter smell?_

She saw the cigarettes and bottles of beer a second later and wrinkled her nose - okay, these ones weren't it.

She quickly flew to the next tree and looked down at the next street. A human male walked out of what was presumably his house, taking out some trash. _Now, this one looks okay..._ She stared at him, waiting for the feeling she wanted to creep up. Nothing. _Well, it has to be eye contact. I better go down there._

Lucy jumped from the tree, morphing half-way down, and landed on the ground gracefully. The boy didn't notice, so she took a few steps closer to him and nervously tugged on the hem of her jumper. "Uhh...hello?"

The boy didn't look up. "Yeah?"

"I...I'm Lucy," She said, stopping a short distance away from him and put her hand behind her back. "I was just wondering if you, uh, knew how I could get to...to the airport?"

"Mmm...I dunno."

 _Geesh, he's not giving me a lot to work with here._ "That's a nice shirt," She blurted. "Could you maybe turn around so I can see it properly?"

The human turned around, and Lucy took the opportunity to look him in the eyes...they were nice and icy blue, like a river, and he had long lashes too...but there was no zing. No amazing jolt through her body, no special feelings, no flashes in their eyes.

Again, she was wrong.

"Uhhh...can I help you?" The boy asked, looking pretty freaked out.

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head quickly. "No. I just remembered that...that I have a friend here I can ask! Thank You for your help!"

As she ran down the street and around the corner, sure she would have blushed if she could, the red-haired vampire girl couldn't help but feel put out - another attempt gone to waste.

* * *

Meanwhile, Johnny had been busy trying to do some damage control; while he didn't quite understand why his wife was so hostile all of a sudden and yelled at him a lot, he knew that he would do anything he could to make her happy. That was why, before she'd woken up that night, he'd snuck out of their room and downstairs to the hotel gift shop to get her something.

He hummed a tune to himself as he stopped outside their room door and lifted his hand to push it open - he decided against it a moment later, however, and looked down at the shrunken head on the door knob. "Hey! Talking-head lady!"

The head opened an eye and glared at him through it. "Can't you see I'm tryin' to sleep?!"

"Sorry," He apologized quickly. "Is Mavis up yet? I don't wanna go in there and wake her up if she's not."

"Oh, trust me," The head snorted, shutting the eye and yawning slightly. "If the muttering and pacing is anything to go by, then she's up!"

 _Great. Nothing sucks more than her being annoyed._ "Cool, thanks." Johnny opened the door and walked into the room, hiding the gift behind his back so that his wife wouldn't see until the very last moment. "Hey, Mavy? Come on, don't play hide-and-seek with me, 'cause you know I'll lose..."

A small snort from above his head immediately told him where Mavis was. "Hmm. Since when is sitting on the ceiling counted as playing hide-and-seek."

Johnny grinned up at the dark-haired vampire goofily. "Hey! So...what're you doing up there?"

"Thinking," She told him, shrugging slightly. "Where have you been? I woke up and you were gone."

The red-head smiled knowingly. "How about you come down and I'll tell you what I was doing?"

Mavis hesitated for a few seconds, clearly not sure, but gave in and dropped to the floor gracefully in front of him; she put her hands on her hips and eyed him cautiously. "You're not going to prank me, are you?"

He laughed. "No, of course not! Actually, I wanted to give you something...here..." He pulled a small bouquet of flowers from behind his back and held them out for her to take. "Black and red roses, since they're your favourites."

Mavis took the flowers, eyes wide as she looked at them; any traces of sarcasm and sass were gone. "Oh...Johnny..."

"I thought you'd like them," He said softly, giving her a childish grin. "I mean, I know we haven't really been...uhh...that romantic and in-love lately, so I thought that I'd get you something to make you smile again."

"They're so beautiful," She murmured, giving a small sniff to inhale the scent. "Thank You..."

"So we're not shouting at each other anymore?" The red-head asked hopefully. "'Cause I kinda don't have any spare change to spend on more gifts right now."

Mavis rolled her eyes slightly but smiled all the same as she leaned in to give her husband a hug. "No, I'm not angry anymore. I can't even remember what we were arguing about now."

As she pulled away and crossed the room to find a vase to put the flowers in, Johnny gave a sigh of relief - his plan had worked, and he wasn't going to be yelled at. Already he was having a good night. "So since we're totally in love again and all, am I allowed to do... _this?_ "

Before Mavis could so much as turn around, she found her husband had wrapped his arms around her waist, lifted her so that her feet were off the ground and started pressing kisses along her cheeks and down to her neck. She giggled, giving him a fake-swat to the head. "Stop! That t-t-tickles!"

Johnny pulled away and grinned at her. "Ahh, come on! You love it! Like I know you love being kissed _here_... _"_

At this, he moved his head and pressed a kiss to behind her ear, causing her giggles to cease.

"And here..."

He pressed a kiss a little further down, making her let out a small gasp.

"And I definitely know that you like this."

He pressed his lips against hers and she let out a small moan, hands scrambling to intertwine themselves in messy red hair that she had come to love over the years. Having done not a lot but arguing over the past couple of weeks, it simply felt _amazing_ to be doing this, and it quickly turned quite heated as the red-head's hands moved to pull his wife's legs around his waist.

When they pulled away, Mavis let out a heavy pant. "No, we can't," She murmured when Johnny tried to move back in for more kisses. "The kids are awake, and we can't have them walk in on us...a-a-and what about my Dad?"

"They're probably busy," Johnny muttered, lips slightly parted so that he could breathe. "Come on...just a little bit longer, Mavy..."

 _Oh, I never can say no when it comes to him_ , She thought, and reconnected their lips; moments later, she found herself being pushed gently against the bedroom wall with her husband's body pressing against hers in all the right places. _Just a while longer..._

* * *

_Oh boy, here we go. Three. Two. One._

Right on time. Much to his amusement, a red-headed figure clambered through the window, nearly tripping over their own two-feet, and stumbled into the room. Blue eyes looked up at him. "Wow," Jack dead-panned, not even looking up from his novel. "Is that the best you can do?"

His older sister glared at him. "Shut up. You know I get all of my 'gracefulness' from Dad."

"So, what were you doing this time?" He questioned, turning a page in the book. "Staring at human boys through their windows? Wait, don't tell me...you were 'seeing what's out there', right?"

Lucy pulled her jumper over her head and tried to smooth her red hair down. "I don't stare at them through their windows...I just...I observe them."

Jack really cared about his sister, he really did, and so shut his book so that he could look at her seriously. "Lu, what do you think is gonna happen? That a boy is going to see you and just 'zing'?" He shook his head. "No, the reality is that he'll scream about some ginger bat outside and ask his parents to get rid of it."

"You don't know that," She snapped, but her shoulders slumped. "Look, I know it seems ridiculous...but I just want to make sure I don't miss my chance. You only get one, and what if that one is just waiting in the nearby village?"

"Just because Dad was a human, doesn't mean your zing will be," Jack told her quietly. "He could be anyone, and you have all the time in the world to find him."

The older vampire sighed and stuffed her jumper into the bag she'd been carrying on her back - it contained all the things she might need, if she ran into trouble out in the world, such as food, warm blankets...it was just in case. "I know. I just want to find him before it's too late."

"You will," He told her assuringly, picking up his book and opening it again. "Just wait. Now go change before someone sees that you snuck out again - especially Mina, because she definitely can't keep her mouth shut."

"Thanks," Lucy said grudgingly, moving across the room so that she could leave.

 _One day, she is going to get herself hurt,_ Jack thought sadly, and he sighed to himself. It was dangerous, what his sister was doing - sneaking out before it was completely dark, flying to human villages and looking at human boys - and it was all for the stupid reason of wanting to be grown up too soon.

Jack could only hope that his sister saw how silly it was soon, before too much damage was done.


	2. Chapter 2

Dracula hummed to himself tunefully as he went through the different papers on his desk; it was mostly bills and letters from guests saying how much they enjoyed their stays there. He usually liked to read the letters at the end of the night, so that he could sleep with positive thoughts on his mind, so he put them to one side for the moment so that he could deal with the boring stuff first.

"Let's see...letter, letter...hmm, no bills," He murmured to himself, somewhat glad that he didn't have to deal with that - that meant he could start with some of the letters early. "Iceland...that must be from a snow monster..."

Just as he moved to open it, however, he caught sight of a purple envelope near the top of the pile - purple envelopes, if he remembered correctly, were letters from members of Monster Councils...and if he was being sent one...

Dracula quickly dropped the letter from Iceland and picked up the purple one; the writing on the front was cursive and neat in bold black - neat and tidy, the way things should be. The vampire quickly tore open the envelope and pulled the letter out so that he could read it.

_Mister V. Dracula,_

_We have sent this letter to remind you of your upcoming hotel inspection. It will take place on April 5th of this year and last for one week._

_We hope all goes well._

Below this message was a long list of names of monsters on the council - Dracula knew all of these names already, and could only focus on the fact that an inspector was coming to the hotel soon - he'd completely forgotten, having been quite busy lately. He mentally went through the dates in his head and realized that he had less than twenty four hours to prepare. It wasn't like the hotel was dangerous or unsanitary in any way - far from it - but over the last hundred years or so he had found a common problem cropping up time after time - Johnny.

Johnny had been changed for over a hundred years, and yet he was still a perceived danger in their world; for a lot of monsters, they said that he could change his mind at any minute and become a monster-killer. Dracula knew this to be ridiculous - the man didn't have a nasty bone in his body, for a start, and the fact that he had a family consisting of vampires just added to the evidence of his innocence. But once someone is labelled something, it sticks with them for life.

 _That human_ , for example, was a common one.

He could sort this out - he was _the_ Count Dracula. All he had to do was make sure that his daughter, Johnny and the children were out of the hotel before the inspector arrived the following night; Mavis and Johnny would understand, they had done this for over a hundred years. Sure, it wasn't ideal since the elder vampire wanted very much to see his family, but it was only for a week or so.

 _I'll tell them later,_ He thought, trying to remember to be organised. _Once the children are in bed, I shall tell Mavis and Johnny...they'll just have to leave early tomorrow night_.

* * *

"Hey, cheer up!"

Lucy held her hands up in defence. "I am!"

Celia just raised an eyebrow, the snakes that made up her hair giving small hisses of laughter. "Really? You look like you've just been hit by a hearse."

"Oh, so much for being my best friend," The vampire muttered, but she smiled at her friend all the same.

Celia had been her friend for ninety years since they were both tiny toddlers; it didn't matter that Celia was part-gorgon and had snakes for hair - it wasn't snakes that Lucy found scary...no, that was spiders, and she had inherited that phobia from her father. Celia was older than Lucy (she couldn't remember how much older, but it wasn't a lot), and so the vampire found herself looking up to her friend as guidance.

"So, you still haven't found a lover-boy yet?" Celia asked, giving the other girl a small smirk. "Of course you haven't... Why are you so fixed on it? It's not like guys are that great - in fact, pretty much all of them are disgusting little perverts."

"Celia!" Lucy hissed, quite embarrassed by this description. She just hoped that none of the other guests in the lobby had overheard them. "Look, I knew you wouldn't understand."

The part-gorgon just shrugged and sat down in a chair. "They are. There was this one time, back in Greece, and I agreed to go out with this guy - he was part-octopus, and kinda cute." Lucy sat down too and put her head on her hands as she watched her friend in interest. "Anyway, it's no surprise finding out he's part-octopus, since his tentacles were _everywhere."_

 _"Everywhere?!_ "

Celia nodded. "Everywhere. Luckily, these boys-" She patted the snakes in her hair affectionately and they gave sighs of appreciation. "-bit him before he got too close to the big deal and he ran off. See, there's only one thing that guys want, Lu."

"Well, surely a zing isn't like that," The red-head argued quietly. "I mean, a zing is for life - you wouldn't hurt your zing."

"Zing?" Celia didn't look too convinced - no surprise to Lucy. "You still believe in that kind of thing?"

"Well, yes," Lucy agreed, nodding her head. "All couples that get married have zinged, and you hear them talk about it at weddings and stuff."

Lucy knew why her friend was reluctant to believe in zings: Celia's parents had been a fully-fledged gorgon woman and a human male. Safe to say, the relationship ended up being quite _stony_ after a while, and Celia never got to meet her father. From what her mother had told her, it didn't sound like the whole thing had been all too romantic either - in fact, it was what Celia referred to as a 'one night stand'.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Celia snorted, leaning back in her chair and shutting her eyes. "Aren't you too old to believe in that kind of thing?"

Lucy crossed her arms defiantly. "My parents zinged, and that's how I know - my Grandpa Drac zinged with my Grandma, and when she died he never ever got over it. That's a love that can only result from a zing-"

"Look, a zing is a fairytale that parents tell kids to get them to sleep during the day," The part-gorgon snapped, sitting up straight and opening her eyes to glare. The snakes in her hair hissed at the vampire. "Otherwise little kids go to bed knowing that once their parents are gone then there's the chance they're all alone with no one to love them."

"That's awful."

"That's life," Celia said coldly, and she stood up. "You know what? Leave me alone for a little bit. Your childishness is making me want to puke."

Lucy watched her friend stalk away and frowned. "Fine. I don't want to be near your negativity anyway."

Zings existed - she knew they did. She just hoped that, one day, her friend might believe her.

* * *

The problem with finding a good book is that once you start reading it you can never put it down - and when you have no choice _but_ to take a break from it, you become rather irritated and cranky. Jack, being the bookworm in the family, had gone through this ritual many times; he had read every single book in the hotel libary by the time he was fifty (or, as Johnny thought it to be, eight or nine for a human), every book he could find at home and was still collecting more. Dracula, pleased that his only grandson was an intelligent and resourceful one, happily agreed to stock more books in the library that Jack suggested.

That night was one of those nights he found himself engrossed in a great book - only to be interrupted.

This book had been particularly interesting; it was about monsters over the years and how humans had adapted their media to feature all of the "famous" ones. One thing Jack found particularly interesting was reading about all the different portrayals of his grandfather - some of them weren't too bad, but a lot were so off it made him feel ill to think about.

 _Huh...You'd think they'd realize we don't actually drink blood_ , Jack thought, shaking his head at the thought. _Although, having said that, it's a lot more realistic than saying we sparkle in the sunlight._

He was currently sitting on the ceiling upside down, a place he found quite relaxing and fun to read on - besides, if people came into his room than it was less obvious where he was. Another advantage to staying at the hotel was that each of the children could have their own rooms, just like they did at home; their parents would share Mavis' bedroom from when she had lived there, and then the three kids were each allowed to choose a room to make their own too.

He heard his bedroom door open; before he could react, a tiny little dark thing had sped into the room and started jumping on his bed excitedly. "JACK JACK JACK!"

Jack blinked, and he managed to figure out who it was. "Mina? Jeesh, Mina, get off my bed!"

Mina just happily bounced higher, giggling loudly. "Come play with me and Martha-bat! We're going to explore all the different floors, and count all the windows, and help all the guests, and-"

"And I'm not doing that," He interrupted dryly, dropping off the ceiling and onto the floor. "Mina, I have better things to do than run around after you while you play Hotel Manager."

The younger vampire stopped bouncing on the bed slowly and frowned sadly. "Why not? You always play with me."

"I'm reading," He stated, holding up his book for her to see. "Why don't you go bother Mom or Dad - they'll probably chase after you if you whine long enough."

"But...I want you to play with me," She said, eyes wide and glazed over slightly. "Not Mom or Dad...I want you. We haven't played in forever."

Jack immediately felt guilty and rubbed at the back of his neck. "Man...look...why can't I play with you later? When I've finished the book?"

"Because we won't have time," She told him seriously. "It's a big hotel, and I don't want to be late for dinner because we're having mouse omelettes by the pool." She held up her bat toy so that it was looking at him. "Martha-bat wants you to, don't you Martha-bat?"

She made the bat nod its head before pouting hopefully.

 _Ah man..._ "Fine," He gave in, and his sister immediately beamed happily again. "I'll come along. But only for a little while - I'm not going up to every single floor...and I'm not counting every single window."

"That's fine," She told him, jumping off the bed and running up to him to hug him around the waist in gratitude. "You can just write down what I say..."

"You mean like inventory?"

Mina nodded. "Yes, but I don't know what that is."

Jack sighed and managed to tug himself out of his little sister's grasp; he walked over to his bed and put the book down on it, for reading later. "Inventory: it's a list of all the things we have. For example, when adventurers go out exploring, they write down all the food and belongings that they have - that way, if they lose something they can easily tell what it is."

Mina just blinked up at him.

"Why don't we just count all the rooms instead of windows?" Jack suggested. "I mean, the rooms have windows too, and it'll take too long to go through every single room to count them - plus, the rooms are numbered, so if we lose count we can just look at the numbers on the doors."

"Alright," Mina agreed, taking his hand and dragging him out of the room. "But no cheating and flying to the top floor! We have to actually count them."

"Of course," He said, nodding his head and trying to appear enthusiastic.

The last thing he wanted to be doing was following his little sister around the hotel and counting rooms . But it made her happy, and - being honest - he really did want his sister to be happy.

_I just wish Lucy was as easy to please._

* * *

Despite their quick little "adventure" in the bedroom that night, something was still up with Mavis. Johnny watched her as the night went by slowly, and noticed that she was still behaving rather oddly - while she wasn't snapping or yelling anymore, she still looked quite sad and wistful, as if contemplating something important, and had resigned herself to sitting in the lobby talking to her Aunts.

"I hope she's okay," The red-head sighed when he spoke to Frank and Griffin later that day by the bar. "She's never like this for this long...I mean, even giving her flowers hasn't worked!" _I can leave out the little session in the bedroom._

Frank just shrugged, downing a large glass of soda in one gulp. "It's just how women are. At first they act in love with you, like you're the best thing in the world. But then a hundred years go by and they just...become like that. I wouldn't worry too much, buddy."

Griffin just gave what was presumably a nod before taking off his glasses and wiping them clean. "Yeah. I mean, women are very strange creatures indeed - no matter what kind of monster."

"How would you know?" Frank joked good-naturedly, giving a chuckle.

"Yeah, you're kinda a lone bachelor," Johnny agreed before turning back to his drink - it was only soda, since he didn't really like alcohol all that much and never had.

The flesh-golem gave a loud yawn before nodding to a nearby zombie bartender for another drink. "So, where are the kids? I was expecting them to be running around and turning furniture over."

"No, that was the werewolf pups," Griffin disagreed. "But where _are_ the kids? I haven't seen them all night."

Johnny blinked; as awful as it sounded, he hadn't really been keeping a close eye on his kids as much as he should have that evening. "Well...I think Lu is hanging out with her gorgon friend downstairs, and Jack's either in his room reading or playing with Mina."

"And Mina is definitely running around the corridors," Griffin finished knowingly. "Yeah, I saw her when I went to breakfast - she never puts that bat down, does she?"

Frank snorted. "Nah. It's a present from Drac - he spoils her rotten, and she loves it."

Johnny took another sip of his drink and went back to thinking; he wished he could figure out what was bugging his wife so much, since didn't like seeing her this way. Whenever he asked, however, she just snapped at him and an argument broke out - after having made up with her in a definitely great way, he didn't really want to go back to that.

"Oh, hey! Mina!"

The red-head snapped out of his thoughts again and watched as his youngest daughter zoomed across the room to hug Frank; the flesh-golem laughed and pulled her into his arms. "Uncle Frank!"

"What's up, kiddo?" He asked, tucking a lock of dark hair behind her head like he used to do with Mavis. "You been playing?"

"Exploring," Mina corrected, nodding her head. "Me and Jack counted all the doors and floors and stuff...it's 'cause I'm gonna be the hotel manager someday, right Daddy?"

"Yeah, totally," Johnny agreed, grinning at her affectionately - he didn't bother mentioning that it would probably be a shared position with her older siblings, and was probably hundreds of years away in the future. "I think your Grandpa's got a run for his money."

"So, where's Jack?" Griffin asked, glasses turning as he did to look.

Mina gave a small giggle as she crawled from Frank's lap and onto her father's. "He's in the library - I tried to drag him away, because explorers don't stop to go in libraries, not in the middle of an adventure, but he wouldn't listen." She peered up at Johnny through long lashes and started to play around with a couple messy locks of red hair on his head. "Daddy, will you come exploring with me? I know you like going to places, right?"

Johnny grinned and nodded. "Duh! Come on, let's go!" He let Mina clamber off his lap and across the room before standing up and looking at his friends in a somewhat apologetic way. "Sorry, guys. She won't take no for an answer."

"Eh, go ahead," Griffin told him, not sounding too upset. "Hey, if you see Drac, can you tell him to come and have a drink with us?"

"Yeah," Frank agreed, giving a nod. "We haven't seen him in months...he's always up in that office doing stuff."

"Will do," Johnny answered, goofily giving his friends a salute as he followed after his daughter.

* * *

Dracula let out a sigh of contentment as he stretched his wings out in the night air; it wasn't too hot nor too cold, but rather refreshing after all the hours he'd spent cooped up in his office and hotel sorting problems out for people.

He really did have to stop working himself so hard - it wasn't healthy, and he knew that his family would be rather concerned if he made himself ill with stress...no, he couldn't do that to them. The inspector continued to occupy his mind, however, and he knew that he'd have to get Mavis, Johnny and the kids out of the hotel before they arrived - he shouldn't have had to, but it was just in case.

The hotel couldn't be shut down; he refused to let that happen. He had built it to keep his daughter safe, and now it was used to keep all of his friends from around the world safe too - a place of relaxation and tranquillity, as he had once said.

_Or, as Johnny puts it, a hotel for monsters._

Just as Dracula thought about flying inside again, he saw a familiar figure sitting on the roof by themselves - he immediately knew who it was, and swooped down to see what was the matter. Morphing and quietly making his way down the tiles, he saw his daughter freeze up slightly at the realization he was there, but she didn't make any attempt to run away.

"Mavy?" He asked cautiously, stopping and sitting down next to her - not too close, in case she wanted some space. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Dad," She replied unconvincingly - but he knew his daughter well. He could tell by the way that Mavis had her arms wrapped around herself, and the way that she was looking sadly out at the moon, that she was not 'fine' or 'okay' in any way.

The Count took a deep breath and gave her a small smile. "Well, if you want to tell me you can. Just because you are grown-up, it does not mean you cannot tell me things."

"I know," She said before giving a small sigh. "I know."

The two vampire sat on the roof for another minute or so in companionable silence, not needing to say anything; Dracula would wait as long as needed for her to open up, even if it was the rest of the night.

Finally, Mavis turned to look at him. To his surprise, she looked rather sad. "Dad? What am I going to do?"

"About what?" He asked patiently. "What is going on?"

"I...I feel like I've ruined everything," She admitted quietly, looking back out at the land ahead of them. "I mean, it was all perfect...we agreed that it was perfect. And now...now I might have ruined that."

"What's perfect?" Dracula asked, still confused. "I don't know what you're talking about, Mavy."

Mavis just gave another sigh. "I know. I guess I just want you to listen..." She hesitated for a moment, clearly unsure. "If I talk but don't give details, will you listen and not ask questions?"

He didn't quite like this idea - of knowing and yet not knowing - but gave a small nod anyway; she was his daughter, and he had to be supportive of her no matter what. "Of course."

"We had it all figured out," Mavis continued, wrapping her arms around her legs and pulling them into her chest like she had done when she was younger. "It was perfect, we both agreed on that. No more...and now it's going to change again. It keeps changing..."

Although he wasn't exactly sure about what this was about, Dracula could immediately guess who the other person in the 'we' was. "Uhh...are you talking about you and Johnny?" He asked, already knowing. His daughter nodded. "I see. And what have you agreed on? What was perfect?"

"It doesn't matter," Mavis decided abruptly, and she suddenly stood up. "I've got to go."

"Wait, Mavy..."

Before Dracula could even stand up, Mavis had morphed into her mist form and flown off the roof.


	3. Chapter 3

"So...we have to leave?"

Mavis gave a nod, hurriedly stuffing a few items of clothing into a suitcase and trying to shut it. "Yes, as soon as possible."

Johnny let out a low whistle in surprise. "Wow. It's kinda short notice though...I mean, a day before? Surely they're meant to give you more time than that."

"I don't think most hotel inspectors take into consideration people trying to stay away," Mavis said dryly, putting the bag on the floor and sitting down on the bed. She gave a sigh, reaching up to rub at her head in exhaustion. "We still have to get the kids packed too, and we can't do that until tonight...why did Dad have to tell us _after_ they went to bed?"

"Hey, it'll be fine," Johnny told her assuringly, sitting up on his knees behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. He started to massage them gently, hoping it would calm her down. "Don't worry about it."

She just looked over her shoulder at him, lips pressed together in a thin line. "I know, it's just...I always worry when we have an inspector come. When I was little, the thought of them getting rid of my home terrified me and...and it still does."

"Yeah, but this hotel is awesome," The red-head stated. "No one would shut it down, not when it keeps so many monsters safe. Besides, it's one of the best I've ever stayed in - trust me on that one, 'cause there are some pretty awful ones out there for humans." He peered at her, stopping his massaging and letting his arms drop to his sides. "Are you okay, Mavy? You look really pale."

"I'm fine," She brushed off quickly, crossing her arms and resting them on her stomach. "I guess I'm just tired, what with all the having to pack and stuff."

"Well, let me help," He offered, already trying to clamber off the bed so that he could do so. "What else have you got to do? I could always help with the kids' stuff tomorrow, so you can relax before we go."

Mavis just shook her head. "Thank you, but I can manage."

Johnny stopped, sitting back on the bed again and keeping his eyes trained on his wife. It usually took a lot to get him worried, considering how laid-back he was all the time, but when it came to his family it became difficult to just sit and watch it go by; he had to do something to help as much as he could, even if he didn't really want to.

"Have I done something wrong?" He asked, blinking at her confusedly. "You're really weird with me...you've been like that for like a week now."

"No, it's nothing you've done," Mavis told him, suddenly feeling quite guilty. "I'm just tired. I think I should get a day's rest or something, before tonight. Something tells me it's not going to be easy getting the kids out of the hotel quietly."

Okay, now that Johnny had to agree with - put lightly, all three of the children loved coming to the hotel as often as possible and were always reluctant to leave. "True... But you were like this before we heard about the hotel inspection. Something's gotta be up." He leaned closer to her, hoping that she'd open up to him instead of getting angry or something. "You can tell me, Mavy."

"Nothing's wrong," She denied, standing up again and heading to the bathroom. "Look, can we please just leave it? I'm tired."

"But-"

Mavis spun around on the spot, glaring at him as her eyes glowed. "Just LEAVE it!"

As she turned again and left the room, Johnny couldn't help but feel rather put out; they used to be able to talk to each other about anything, without fear of being judged, and now...now it felt like they weren't even married, what with how much they were telling each other.

_Looks like I'm gonna need more flowers soon._

* * *

The next night seemed to arrive too quickly for Dracula - it was only when he rose from his coffin as the sun set that he realized his family had to leave soon before the inspector turned up in the lobby.

 _The kids won't like that,_ Dracula thought, but he knew there wasn't anything else for it; the last time Mavis and Johnny had stayed hadn't been too pleasant for anyone involved. This had been just after the couple had gotten married, so it wasn't as if Johnny was a human anymore...but, as it turned out, humans who had been changed weren't too kindly looked upon. Because of this, Mavis and Johnny had decided it would be better for both them and their kids to try and keep them away from any possible drama.

The Count yawned and smiled up at the portrait of his love hanging across the room - even hundreds of years later, he still liked looking at her portrait and seeing her smiling. During the first decade or so after her death, it had helped him to see her look so happy in that painting, helped him to get on with his jobs for the night and look after their daughter.

_Wherever she is, I'm sure her spirit is happy._

It sounded corny, but he liked to think that her spirit was still with them - that his darling Martha was still watching over him and Mavis over the years, proud at how far they had come. That way it wasn't so sad because, in a way, she was there when all of the big things happened; she had been there in spirit for every one of their daughter's birthdays, to see Mavis getting married and starting her own family.

"Good morning, love," He greeted quietly, stretching his arms out as he properly woke up before heading for the wardrobe to get dressed - after all, with an inspector visiting, he had to look his very best.

He didn't really want to have to see his family leave, not after he'd become so excited for this current visit, but he knew that it was for the greater good: the less drama there was, the more chance they had of being able to keep coming back to the hotel as they grew older. It was unfair, but he'd have to deal with that.

* * *

Mina frowned as she watched her father walk around her room and grab her belongings - she had Martha-bat in her arms, so that the toy wouldn't go in a suitcase and be alone - to pack. "Why do we have to leave? I was having fun."

Johnny just gave a sigh, shoving the things in his arms into her bag. "I know, cutie, I know. But we'll come back soon, I promise."

This just caused her to frown even more, clearly puzzled. "But why can't we stay longer? Why do we have to leave _now_?"

Of course Johnny couldn't say anything to her about his past of being a human - it was too complicated to explain to her certain things just yet - or the fact that some monsters in the world resented him because of it, so he had to think of a reasonable explanation before answering. "Well...your Mommy and I realized that this week...uhh...a lot of guests are gonna come, and that your Grandpa would be too busy to...to hang out."

 _Smooth. Still, she's little so maybe she'll believe it_.

Mina sighed, looking down at her bat sadly. "Is this because you and Mommy want to argue at home, so people won't hear?"

Johnny froze on the spot, dropping a pair of her shoes he'd been holding.

"It's okay if you do," She continued, stroking Martha-bat's ears with her finger tentatively. "But can you not do it while we're awake? I can't sleep, 'cause all I can hear is the shouting."

_She's heard the arguments? All three of them have heard it?_

The red-head immediately sat down next to his daughter on her bed and put an arm around her. "Oh man...you don't like it when we argue, huh?"

Mina shook her head. "No." Her shoulders slumped, and her eyes suddenly became rather glazed over as she looked up at him. "Are you and Mommy not in love anymore? Are you not gonna be married still either?"

"What? Of course we are!" Johnny answered quickly, pulling her into a proper hug. "Why wouldn't we be?"

"Because you're arguing," She stated, as if it were obvious. "You're yelling and not being nice."

He gave a small nod. "Yeah, okay. We're yelling a bit lately...but that doesn't mean we don't love each other. I mean, you fight with Lu and Jack all the time, don't you? But that doesn't mean you guys don't love each other."

"Yeah, but we have to love each other," Mina said, rolling her eyes slightly. "They're my brother and sister - I have no choice, Daddy."

He couldn't help but smile slightly at this. "Your Mommy and I are always gonna love each other - haven't I told you about the zing?" She nodded, also smiling a little bit as she remembered the tale. "Well, we zinged; we're meant to be." He lifted a hand and carefully stroked a tuft of black hair away from her face so that she could see properly. "I'm sorry you guys have been hearing all of the arguments - we never wanted you to hear that."

"I know," She told him, looking up at him with wide eyes. "So why did you do it?"

"We didn't realize," He admitted guiltily, and couldn't help but hug her tighter to himself. "But we promise that we won't yell at each other anymore - at all. I mean, we're not fighting anymore, so..."

"You're not?" Mina asked, brightening up suddenly. "Really?"

"Nope," He agreed, grinning down at her. "We've sorted everything out, and we're not going to yell anymore."

Mina smiled radiantly, clearly pleased. "Good, because I was going to complain to Grandpa if you didn't stop it." She paused, clearly thinking something over in her head. "Is it because of the hotel?"

"What about the hotel?"

"We're in the hotel," She repeated, suddenly more excited, and pulled away from him. "And the hotel is magic! It's where all the fun stuff happens, and it's where you and Mommy met, and it's...it's...it's magic!"

Johnny couldn't help but grin and let out a chuckle; he'd never thought about it that way, but now that his daughter was saying it he could see where she was coming from. "Yeah, you're right! Anyway..." He stood up and looked at her pointedly. "We still have to pack."

Mina's smile disappeared immediately.

* * *

"Have fun sneaking out?" Jack teased when his sister walked over to him. The two were in the lobby, waiting with their suitcases and bags, for their parents and younger sister to come downstairs so that they could check out.

Lucy glared at him. "Shut up. You don't know I was sneaking out."

"I heard you clamber through your bedroom window tonight from down the hall," He told her dryly. "You're not exactly quiet, Lu - at least you found your own room and not mine this time." He turned back to his book, skimming over the words on the page quickly. "So, how did it go this time? Any zings yet?"

"What do you think?" She grumbled back, folding her arms. "I thought I came close, though; there was this really cute human boy walking home on his own...you know, the kind with intense dark eyes and muscular physique that are _really_ hot..."

"I've never really seen that in boys before," Jack joked sarcastically.

Lucy sent him another glare before continuing. "Anyway, I had to morph and actually talk to him before I realized that there wasn't much of a 'zing' going on...still, he looked pretty interested before I left."

Her brother, unable to concentrate on his book anymore, shut it and placed it on top of his suitcase before turning to look at his sister with wide eyes. "Lu, I understand what you want...but there's no need for it _now_... I mean, what if someone realizes what you are?" He shook his head, not even wanting to think about the possibilities. "Think about it, Lu: some humans might not be so accepting, even now. If anyone finds out, they might-"

"Might try to torch me," Lucy finished dryly. "Or, if I manage to get away, they might follow me back here and try to kill as many of us as possible. I get it."

Before Jack could respond to this, their mother came hurrying over to them from presumably across the lobby, holding Mina against her body with one arm and using the other to carry the child's bags.

"You guys are packed, right?" Mavis asked immediately, and both of the teen-aged vampires nodded - it was clear that their mother didn't want to waste any time. "Great. Well, that's all of us packed...I'm just going to go and help your Dad with our own bags." She passed Mina, who was in her arms, to Lucy to hold. "Can you just watch her for a minute?"

"Yeah, sure," Lucy agreed, shifting the slightly heavy weight in her arms. _Geez, what has she been eating lately?_

Mavis turned away and left to go back upstairs, leaving the children by themselves.

"Now what?" Jack asked, picking up his book again.

Lucy, unable to hold her sister for much longer, put Mina down on the floor and bent down to look at her seriously. "Mina, I'm going to go and buy a magazine from the gift shop. Can you stay here with Jack until I get back?"

Mina just blinked innocently, clutching her bat you in her hands.

"I'll take that as a yes. Jack," She stood up and looked at her brother this time. "Look, I know that book is probably very interesting, but can you just make sure she doesn't run off? Just for five minutes?"

"Yeah, yeah," He muttered, not lifting his eyes to look at her. "Whatever."

Lucy's lips pressed together in a thin line but she didn't comment; instead, she headed across the lobby through a large group of guests to go to the gift shop.

Mina, meanwhile, looked down at her Martha-bat in silence; she still didn't understand why they had to leave. The hotel being busy never usually stopped them from staying, so why was it now? It just didn't make sense to her...then again, a lot of things that older people did didn't make a lot of sense to her either.

Just as she was pondering this, a dark figure caught her eye; looking up, she saw that a monster of some kind had entered the hotel and was heading up to the front desk.

 _Oohh...I've never seen a guest like that!_ Mina looked down at Martha-bat and smiled mischievously. "Wanna go on an adventure?" The bat just continued to smile, so the child jumped up and giggled. "Come on, before we lose them!"

Her brother didn't notice her running across the lobby away from him.

* * *

"Hey!"

"Hey," Jack mumbled back, not looking up from his book.

"Mom and Dad not down here yet?" Lucy asked, looking around; her brother just shook his head, continuing to read. Knowing she wouldn't get much more of a reaction out of him, the red-head opened her magazine to read it before remembering that they were meant to be watching their sister.

She looked down, only to find that Mina was nowhere to be seen.

"Uhh…Jack?" Lucy whispered to her brother nervously, putting the magazine she'd been reading down on her suitcase. "Where's Mina?"

Jack looked up from his book and gazed around the hotel with alert brown eyes. "Umm…with Mom and Dad?"

The red-head shook her head. "No. They left her here with us, so they could get their bags."

The siblings looked at each other for a moment before snapping into action; Lucy morphed into her bat form and flew to the other end of the lobby to search for their little sister, while Jack simply ran in the opposite direction, book still in his hand.

"Mina?" Lucy called, blue eyes searching through all of the different monster guests.

"Mina!" Jack shouted, trying to make himself heard as he pushed through a throng of guests worriedly.

The next thing he knew he was bumping straight into his father; the two clumsily fell to the floor, Jack's book falling out of his hands, and they let out identical 'oomph!'s in an almost comical way.

Mavis appeared seconds later, and looked down at the two with a somewhat amused expression. "You guys alright down there?" She laughed, and both of the other vampires clambered to their feet quickly, Jack reaching to pick up his book. "Anyway, what are you doing over here? We're meant to be leaving in a quiet wa-"

"Mina's gone," Jack blurted, cringing when both of his parents just stared at him. "Hey, it's not _my_ fault - Lucy's the oldest! It was totally her job!"

Johnny and Mavis looked at each other, smiles fading completely as the panic started to set in. "What do you mean 'gone'?" Johnny asked, eyes wide. "Where's Lu now?"

Jack blinked, slowly lifting a finger in the general direction his eldest sister had gone in. "She's looking too…"

Mavis was visibly starting to panic; judging by her wide eyes and even paler than usual skin, her husband briefly wondered if she'd gone into shock. "Look, she's probably just with some of the guests," He assured her quickly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I mean, you know how she loves playing with that Yeti family, the ones in Room-"

Before he could finish his sentence, his wife had morphed into her bat form and was already flying across the lobby. "We've got to look for her!" She called over her shoulder worriedly, already in full-blown panic mode. While she knew that none of the guests would even dream of hurting any of her children (let alone the tiny little Mina), some of them were quite large…what if one stepped on her accidentally?

Before she could fret more on that thought, Mavis bumped into another bat; judging by the bright red fur and blue eyes, it was immediately clear that it was Lucy who she'd just collided with. "Mom!" Lucy cried, voice higher than usual. She looked around, as if an excuse would appear out of thin air. "I was just…you know…taking a quick flight before we left! Stretching my wings and all!"

"I know that your sister is missing," Mavis said dryly, and her eldest daughter's shoulders slumped. "And let me tell you now, you and your brother are going to be in so much trouble when we get ho-"

A high-pitched child's shriek cut her off. Both bats looked down and around the lobby, trying to see where it had come from; a second scream and the direction that some of the monsters in the lobby started to head towards lead them to the check-out desk. The mother and daughter morphed back before pushing through the crowd to try and find the youngest vampire child.

The first thing they saw was a tall and stunning female vampire with flowing brown hair and emerald green eyes; she was dressed in a long, sleek black dress that reached past her feet, giving her a regal look, and she had a gold necklace around her neck with a red jewel of some kind shining on top of her chest. She was definitely attractive, no doubt about it, although she would have been more so if she hadn't been wearing such an unpleasant scowl on her face in that moment.

"Whose child is this?" She snarled, voice cold. That was when everyone's attention was turned to a struggling child next to her; the dark-haired vampire child was squirming uncomfortably, and upon further inspection it was clear that the brunette vampire had an iron-tight grip on her wrist. Mina's Martha-bat lay on its own on the floor a few meters away, and Mina reached out her free arm for it uselessly.

Before Mavis could step in, another voice stopped her. "Err…she's my daughter." Everyone turned, only to see Johnny standing there; Jack was next to him, and it was clear that they'd only just managed to make their way through the crowd.

The tall vampiress spun to face him, eyes narrowed dangerously. " _Your_ daughter?"

Johnny nodded meekly.

"Well, you should learn to have better control over your young!" She said coldly, and thrust Mina towards him. Mina stumbled and fell to the floor in front of her father and brother, immediately crawling closer to them for safety. "The little brat ran straight into me as I checked in!"

Johnny opened his mouth, only to be interrupted by a different stern voice - this time one that was much more welcome to him. "Yes, well, she is young," Dracula argued calmly, the crowd that had previously formed parting so that he could walk through. "She has much to learn…Ava, if I'm correct?"

The vampiress - Ava - straightened up even more. "You have to have control over young ones and discipline them - they'll never learn if they don't."

The Count took a step closer, demeanour suddenly more threatening. "That is not your decision to make," He said coldly. "And if you _ever_ lay a hand on any of my grandchildren again, I'll make sure that you are _very_ sorry."

Ava's mouth fell open slightly, eyebrows furrowed in utter disbelief. " _She_ 's your granddaughter?" She snarled, glaring back down at Mina; her eyes glowed a dangerous shade of red. Mina shuddered slightly on the spot, clinging to her brother's leg as if it were a teddy bear. " _She_ is… _that_ _human's_ spawn?"

She focused her glare on Johnny, who couldn't help but flinch slightly on the spot. Jack hurriedly bent down and pulled his little sister into his arms - he could sense a fight brewing like a potion.

Mavis stepped forwards, glaring at the new vampire. "That's also _my_ daughter you're talking about," She seethed, going into over-protective mode. She never thought she'd be as over-protective as her father, but now…now she could see exactly why he'd been like that with her. " _My_ family - who are _you_ to come into our hotel and judge us?"

Ava, surprisingly, smiled at the dark-haired vampire woman in a silkily sweet way that gave away more bad than good. "Oh, just a hotel inspector."

There was a gasp from the majority of the crowd, and muttering started to be heard amongst them; only Dracula seemed unfazed, clearly knowing who she'd been since the very start of the conversation.

Mavis, though quite surprised that it was the hotel inspector she was talking to, continued to frown. "So? You still have no right to treat my daughter like that!"

Ava gave Mavis a sly smile, bearing pearly white fangs. "And despite the fact that you're the owner's daughter - the one person who should care about the guests - you still continue to put everyone in our world in danger."

"She's NOT dangerous," Jack protested suddenly, getting the wrong idea. "She's…Mina is a baby, for goodness sake!"

Mina frowned at him seriously, quite offended. "I'm _not_ a baby, Jack! I'm thirty-one now!"

"She's harmless," One of the guests - a fly - agreed, nodding his head.

"My son, Big Junior, plays with her all the time!" A Yeti mother stated, also nodding and smiling.

It was obvious that the brunette hotel inspector was not happy with the turn of conversation. "I didn't mean the little brat, I meant the human!" She pointed at Johnny and glared again. "He's dangerous to us!"

"Look, I know that my clothes stink bad sometimes," Johnny muttered. "But it's not _that_ bad once you get used to it!"

"My husband isn't a human," Mavis argued impatiently, rolling her eyes. "I changed him before our wedding, over a hundred years ago."

"Oh! Yeah!" The red-head nodded, as if it proved the point. "See? I still have the marks where she bit me." He pointed to said marks, grinning around at everyone.

Dracula couldn't help but roll his eyes as well, this time at his son-in-law's behaviour. "Look," He said, trying to keep calm - he really didn't want to lose his hotel, even if it meant he had to be nice to such a…well, horrible guest. "Johnny has been staying at this hotel for over a hundred years, and he's never hurt anyone-"

"I didn't hurt anyone when I was human either," Johnny added, ignoring when the Count glared at him.

"He's harmless," The older vampire stated, directing it both at Ava and the other guests. "So there's no need to worry." He turned back to Ava, giving her a fake smile that matched his fake politeness. "Now, I will call one of the zombies from behind the desk to take you up to your room, and then they will bring your belongings for you."

"Thank You," Ava said, also in a fake polite tone, before turning to Mavis and giving her a rather thin smile. "It looks like we'll be seeing a lot of each other then, doesn't it?"

"Actually, we were just leaving," Lucy blurted before her mother could speak.

Ava raised a curved eyebrow. "I see. So it has nothing to do with me or the human?"

"Our Dad isn't a human," Jack mumbled as the rest of the guests started to disperse; he moved closer to his older sister and passed Mina to her.

"We have to get home," Mavis said, taking over and trying to fix the situation. "We have things we need to do."

The brunette vampire looked between the family members, clearly not pleased. "But surely you can stay to see how the inspection goes? And I would very much like to talk to the famous Count Dracula's daughter…and his grandchildren, of course."

The kids all looked at Mavis, too terrified to say anything in case it got them in more trouble. "Well," The dark-haired vampire started hesitantly. "I…we weren't planning on it, but…but I suppose we could stay a couple more days."

"Lovely," Ava flashed them a smile that was silkily sweet in a rather unpleasant way. "I'll see you around…oh, and please keep your kids under control."

As she stalked away, head held high in a regal pose, Mavis and the kids looked at each other nervously.

"Why did you say we could stay?" Lucy demanded to know, looking angry. "You know she doesn't like us for some reason!"

"She's awful," Jack agreed, a panicked expression on his face. "She's going to shut the hotel for no reason!"

"She scares me," Mina murmured, nuzzling into Lucy's neck. "I don't like her."

It was only then that Mavis realized her husband was still standing by the front desk, looking quite grey and as if he'd gone into shock. "Uhh…we'll talk later," She decided, trying to think of a way to get her husband alone for a moment. "Why don't you guys find a zombie to take our stuff back to our rooms, and I'll meet you up there? Oh, and you two," She narrowed her eyes slightly at her two eldest. "We _will_ be talking about you not watching your sister later." Lucy and Jack sighed but nodded, already turning around and slowly walking back to where they'd left all of their bags.

Mavis took a few steps towards Johnny, resisting the urge to sigh when she realized he was slumped over. "You know she won't do anything," She said quietly, stopping in front of him. "My dad won't let her…and besides, she was wrong about the whole human thing, so there's no reason to be upset over that."

Johnny just shrugged, looking quite put out. "Yeah, but…I'm a vampire. And, like, how does she know I used to be human?"

"Uhh…maybe because I'm _the_ Count Dracula's daughter," Mavis stated as if it were obvious - which it was to her. "You know how the monster tabloids like to report about me…they can't get much on Dad, since he hardly leaves and he's too busy for interviews, so they try going for me." She put a hand in his, giving it a tight, comforting squeeze. "Come on, we've got to unpack again. It looks like we're going to be staying another few days."

The red-head brightened up at this. "So does this mean I can beat you in a chicken-fight?"

Mavis smirked as they started to walk, hand-in-hand. "Only in your dreams."


	4. Chapter 4

Celia, while usually quite sarcastic and sassy, was also known to have a nice side - only, of course, her friends and mother knowing this piece of information. That night was one of those rare times where Lucy got to see this side of the other teen-aged monster - and this was only because she had been effected by the arrival of the newest guest too.

"I mean, did you see how intense her eyes were?" Celia gasped, looking quite terrified as the two sat down in chairs in the lobby. Even the snakes in her hair had gone quite pale, clearly not in the mood to threaten anyone just yet. "I mean, I know they say that we gorgons have a stare that turns people to stone - but wow!"

"She was rather scary," Lucy admitted uncomfortably; she didn't have to say anything about it having to do with her father because her friend already knew. "I thought she was going to kill someone at one point."

"I can't believe your Grandpa was so calm though," Celia commented, looking surprised. "I mean, if I were him, I would have probably snapped her neck or something."

The red-haired vampire rolled her eyes slightly at this remark. "Yeah, well that's a little bit too strong, even for someone like that."

Celia just hummed, not looking entirely convinced. "So, how long are you staying? Now that the tall bitch-lady's wanting to keep an eye on you and your family, it must be for the rest of the week."

"My Mom said it'd only be for a couple more days," Lucy replied dully, even though she wasn't entirely convinced that this was going to be the case. "For once I don't really want to stay here."

"I know the feeling," Her friend agreed, giving a small nod. "I mean, don't get me wrong, this is a great place your Grandpa's got here - but knowing that there's some psycho woman watching our every move makes it kinda hard to let loose and relax."

Lucy could only nod in agreement, suddenly feeling her stomach drop as she thought of something: if this hotel inspector was going to be watching everything that she and her family did, it meant she could go flying to the human villages for the week...a whole week gone to waste.

"Hey! Lu, wake up!"

"I'm awake," Lucy mumbled, not blinking when her friend clicked her fingers right in front of her face. "I was just thinking."

"Look, as much as I get that you're a little shocked right now, what with the visitor - I'm pretty messed up too - we have more to talk about than some crazy psycho bitch." The vampire looked at Celia, waiting silently for her to continue. "So, while you've been taking little flights out to human villages - why I don't know because human guys are useless..." At this she wrinkled her nose, and her snakes gave a weak hiss in agreement. "Anyway, I've been doing a little research into some of the guests here..."

"Oh, you didn't!" Lucy groaned, looking mortified.

"What? Your first boyfriend should be a monster!" Celia stated, looking quite proud of herself. "And, if I may, there are a _lot_ of attractive ones checking in at this time of year - and I mean _really_ attractive."

"I told you, I'm waiting for my zing," The vampire reminded her, shaking her head. "It has to be special - everything with my zing has to be special and new and just...I'm not going to have flings with boys I don't care about."

Celia frowned slightly. "For all you know, one of the guys staying _here_ could be your 'zing' or whatever you call it. I mean, there's a really cute flesh-golem staying on the third floor, and he's about a hundred and twenty-"

"That's sixteen years older than me!" Lucy stated, shocked by what her friend was suggesting. "He's a fully-grown adult!"

"So?" Celia snorted. "The more mature the better, if you ask me."

Lucy stood up, looking quite uncomfortable. "Look, Celia, as much as I appreciate you trying to help me, I have to find my zing for myself - you can't choose him for me."

"I'm not! I'm just making suggestions!"

Lucy bit her lip and turned away. "Thank you for trying to help, but I think it's better if I go and unpack - if I'm staying, I need to make my room as homely and comfortable as possible."

* * *

Although one would think that Dracula was up to his eyeballs in work to do to maintain the fantastic quality of his hotel - which he admittedly was - he still managed to take time out of his busy schedule, an hour or so, to spend with his youngest granddaughter.

He'd seen how that inspector had been grabbing Mina, he wasn't stupid - and he didn't like it one bit. He wasn't surprised when she came away from the ordeal looking utterly terrified out of her mind, and he thought it was only right he tried to take her mind off of it.

Mina hummed happily as she flew her Martha-bat around in the air, keeping hazel eyes trained on it alertly. "She's stretching her wings," She explained to Dracula brightly. "She doesn't like being cooped up all the time."

 _Now, who does that remind me of?_ Dracula thought amusedly, smiling to himself. "I see."

She looked up at her grandfather for a moment, the arm that was holding her bat slowly falling into her lap. "Grandpa? Can I ask you something? About Grandma?"

"Of course," He told her, nodding eagerly; he had no issues with telling his grandchildren about his love. "Anything."

"What was she like?" Mina asked slowly, blinking with wide eyes. "Was she nice? I know she was pretty, but she was nice too, right?"

"Oh, yes," Dracula agreed, smiling to himself even more. "She was one of the nicest monsters out there - and definitely one of the most beautiful."

Mina just gave a funny little nod, obviously contemplating something in her mind. "I knew that," She said quickly, causing him to chuckle a little. "I think monsters should be both, like Grandma was." She paused, contemplating again. "Why wouldn't someone be nice? I don't get it."

 _Ah. She's thinking about Ava._ "I don't either," The Count told her, smile disappearing. "But I think that, sometimes, monsters don't...they're not very happy, and so they are mean to others because of that."

 _Even though it's not anyone else's fault,_ he thought to himself privately. _Especially not Mina's._

His granddaughter smiled up at him, smiling pearly white baby fangs that were still to fall out to make room for her adult ones. "I'm glad we're staying here longer," She told him, moving closer and wrapping her arms around his torso as best she could. "It means we can explore more...even if that mean lady is staying too."

"Well, I'm sure that she will not do anything," Dracula assured her firmly, putting a gentle hand on her back - and he meant it. If someone did something to any of his family...put simply, blood would be spilled in a rather messy and unorthodox way. "I will not let her."

"You promise?"

"I give you my word," Dracula reiterated, flashing her a smile. She smiled back weakly, mimicking him as best she could. "Besides, you are pretty tough on your own."

Her eyes widened out of delight. "Really?"

"Oh, yes," He agreed, nodding his head. "You are one of the toughest monsters I know; no one will hurt you, my little ghoul. Trust me."

"Plus I have my Martha-bat," Mina added, looking far more confident than she had previously, and held up said plush toy. "She'll protect me, right?"

He gave a small nod. Deep down, they both knew that a toy bat was no match against a monster of any kind - but it was better to pretend.

* * *

Mavis gave a small sigh to herself as she finished unpacking their belongings - again - and sat down on the bed to try and relax. If someone had told her a hundred and five years ago that parenting was going to be this difficult, then she wouldn't have believed them; now she fully understood how strenuous it was and wished that, just for one night, she could go back to simpler times.

Times where she didn't need to stress over keeping three kids safe.

"You know, staying at the hotel shouldn't cause you to be exhausted," She heard Johnny joke as he entered from the bathroom, and she leaned back on the pillows tiredly. "Man, you look aw-..I mean, _stressed_."

"I'm fine," Mavis mumbled, not moving when she felt his weight drop down on the bed next to her. "I just need to sleep."

The red-head raised an eyebrow, clearly not sure whether to believe this. "So it has nothing to do with that crazy inspector lady?"

"Hmm...that's a part of it."

"Yeah," Johnny agreed, nodding to himself. "She scared _me_ , no wonder the kids were all freaked out."

The dark-haired vampire smiled to herself slightly, somewhat amused by this admission. "I'm just worried about how staying longer is going to make the kids feel - especially Mina. She looked _terrified_ earlier."

"It's a wonder you didn't kill that inspector lady," Her husband chuckle, and she found it amazing that he was so positive on the idea - then again, that was just the way he was. "You looked super tense earlier."

Before she could stop him, he was leaning dangerously closer to her, sliding arms around her waist and snuggling into her body. Mavis tried to pull away weakly, part of her wanting to give in to his advances and the other wanting to escape as much as possible.

Not being stupid, he caught on pretty quickly and frowned. "What's the matter?"

"I...uhh..." She wriggled out off his grip and sat up again as she tried to come up with an excuse. "I'm not feeling too great. It was probably all the wormcakes at breakfast I had."

"Oh," Johnny gave a small nod, looking quite hurt by the lack of enthusiasm on his wife's part. "Cool. It's just that you were alright earlier, so..."

 _I can't keep lying to him,_ Mavis thought sadly, suddenly feeling guilty. _He doesn't deserve it. I'm going to have to tell him soon, before this gets out of hand._

_Why not tell him now? Sooner than later._

"Actually," Mavis started, suddenly feeling quite queasy for real this time. Her husband looked up, all of his attention on her instantly. "There's something we need to talk about."

"Okay," Johnny said, hurt expression disappearing and being replaced by one of curiosity. "What is it?"

 _I can do this._ "I know I've been kind of weird lately," She continued slowly, looking down at the bed duvet instead of at him. "And I know I keep getting angry and arguing with you for no reason. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Johnny told her, somewhat bemused. "Is that all you wanted to say?"

"No, I'm getting there." She took a deep breath; she just hoped he wouldn't react badly. "The thing is, I know why I've been like that and I haven't told you. It's actually part of the reason I'm stressed, so..." Hesitating for a second, Mavis looked back up at Johnny and hoped it would be alright. "I'm pregnant."

There was a long moment of silence where they just looked at each other, Johnny's face unreadable and Mavis biting her lip worriedly. And then, extremely slowly, Johnny's eyes widened out of surprise. "Pregnant?"

Mavis gave a silent nod.

"As in...with a baby?"

"No, with a dinosaur," She retorted, rolling her eyes slightly at how stupid the question had been. "Yes, with a baby."

He didn't respond for a long moment, instead just staring at her in shock; and then, slowly, a grin spread across his face. "Awesome."

" _Awesome_?" Mavis repeated, both relieved and confused. "So you're happy, right?"

"You're kidding me - why wouldn't I be?" Johnny laughed, eyes lighting up. "We're having another kid! This is totally amazing!" He wrapped his arms around his wife, squeezing her tightly and pressing kisses all over her face. "Another kid... Wait." He pulled back and frowned at her. "You didn't think I'd be happy?"

The dark-haired vampire gave him a small, nervous smile. "It wasn't that, it was just...I didn't know. I mean, we agreed that three was perfect, and I thought that another one would...you know..."

"Hey, I grew up with six brothers - the more the better if you ask me," He reminded her, chuckling to himself good-naturedly. After planting one last kiss on her forehead, he ducked his head down so that it was next to her stomach and put his hands on it. "Wow...hard to believe there's a little person in there. Hey, do you think they'd be able to hear me?"

Mavis shrugged, suddenly feeling a lot more positive on the whole situation - in fact, she was starting to feel quite _excited_. "I don't know. Even if they can, you won't feel them kick or anything." She sighed, rubbing a hand across her presently flat stomach as her husband sat up properly again. "It won't be long until I can't fit into nice clothes anymore..."

"I always think you're beautiful when you're pregnant," Johnny assured her wisely, knowing that it would put her in a good mood - the man wasn't stupid, and having gone through this three times before he knew it was better to be as nice as possible to her. "You know, 'cause you glow and stuff."

"So not because _certain_ body parts get larger?" Mavis teased jokingly.

He let out a nervous laugh. "Hehe...well, that's good too!"

The inspector long forgotten, the two spent the night cuddled together celebrating their positive news.


	5. Chapter 5

Telling children that there's going to be a new addition to the family can go two ways: the first one is obviously excitement, perhaps at the prospect of getting a sibling to boss around, or maybe just because babies are associated with pure joy and cuteness. The other way is that children, especially ones who are the youngest or only child thus far, get angry or upset - this is usually because they feel as if they're being replaced or they like things the way they are and don't want them to change.

An example of these reactions had been when Lucy and Jack found out about Mavis being pregnant with Mina; while Lucy was excited about the prospect of a new brother or sister, Jack, who had been the younger of the two by thirteen years, didn't like the idea. To him, things had been the same for nearly sixty years and he was in no hurry to change his perfect life because of a new child appearing. When Mina was born a month before his sixtieth birthday, he didn't like her at all; every day he'd be woken up by her screams for attention while he tried to sleep, and it was just plain annoying. Even worse, his Grandpa became completely obsessed with the new baby and started spending all of his time gazing at her in adoration; other monsters at the hotel seemed equally as eager to look and hold the baby, even though she didn't do anything but eat, sleep and poop.

Oh, and cry...cry _a lot_.

Put simply, he hadn't been too happy with the new arrival. Both of his parents tried talking to him, trying to see if they could help, but he said nothing; the only thing that would have helped would have been if the baby was gone and everything back to normal - but that wasn't happening. Instead of spending time with his baby sister, he confined himself to his room all night, sitting on his bedroom ceiling and reading - the only time he left was to go to the bathroom or to find nourishment of some kind. That way he could pretend that there was no baby, no stupid little drooling child keeping him awake during the day.

One night, however, he was forced to confront this new reality; they'd been at Dracula's hotel for another visit, and he'd gone outside to sit by the pool to read in the fresh air. Jack had just reached the halfway point in his novel - one about humans in the future killing each other to win a game of some kind - when his mother had rushed up to him and asked him to watch his little sister for five minutes while she went to do something (he wasn't really listening, to be honest). He tried to get out of it of course but nothing worked, and he soon found himself in his parents' hotel room watching his youngest sister lie on her back on the floor and kick her legs.

 _What's so great about her?_ He had thought bitterly, glaring at where she was lying.

That was when she had turned her eyes on him; he noticed that her eyes were hazel, just like his, and she had dark hair like him too. In fact, if hadn't known any better, he would have thought he was just looking at a baby version of himself. Mina opened her mouth, showing off two tiny white teeth that were starting to push through her gums, and gurgled at him; she probably wanted picking up, so Jack reluctantly did so and set her on his lap.

"Geez, you stink," He muttered, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Mina just blinked up at him. "What? What do you want?" She didn't do anything, instead just looking up at him with big wide eyes. "Umm...how about a story? Maybe it'll put you to sleep."

She obviously didn't respond further than blinking so he went ahead and started to make up a story in the hopes that it would bore her to tears.

Instead, Mina listened to his voice with wide eyes; even though she probably didn't understand a word he was saying or what they meant, she appeared to enjoy listening to his smooth voice telling her stories about all of the different things out there, all of the different adventures he had read about. It got to the point where Jack actually started to _smile_ at her while he spoke, and he found himself enjoying their story-time session quite a bit more than he had thought.

Eventually, as the weeks went by, Mina had started to grow on him; by the time her first birthday rolled around, Jack was more than happy to spend time with her and help his parents out, so that they were less stressed. Okay, so Lucy's smug looks were a little annoying (seriously, how did she know this was going to happen?), but he could put up with it.

That night, Johnny and Mavis had been unsure as to how their three children would react to the news of a fourth one joining them; hopefully Lucy and Jack would be more than okay with it, if a little shocked, but there was no telling how Mina would take it - she was a spoilt little princess, to be honest, and there was no immediate way of saying if that had made her expect to be so for the rest of her life.

"So why did you want to talk to all three of us?" Lucy asked, looking quite confused. "Normally you don't care if we don't hang out - you're just glad that we don't set the place on fire."

"Okay, that was one time!" Jack protested. "And it wasn't even my fault - the Chef guy let me into the kitchen! I mean, who even lets a kid as young as twenty-five into a kitchen when they're on their own?!"

"Actually, we wanted to tell you guys something," Johnny told them, and he slyly slipped his arm around Mavis' waist without the kids noticing. "And we wanted to do it so that you three knew before anyone else - before Grandpa."

Mina's eyes widened with excitement. "Yay! What is it?"

"Are we getting a pet?" Lucy asked hopefully. "Can it be a cat?"

"Nah, I want a dog," Jack disagreed, suddenly looking rather interested. "Please tell me it's a dog."

"Uhh...no," Johnny admitted, and he almost pouted himself - but then he remembered what the news actually was and kept grinning. "Although, I guess it's kind of like a pet, in a way..."

Mavis rolled her eyes slightly. "It's not a pet." She smiled and put a hand on her stomach - something she had grown accustom to doing when she was nervous while pregnant. "You're going to have a new brother or sister soon."

The kids' faces were _priceless_ , to say the least. Lucy's eyebrows raised, lips pursed as if she wanted to ask something but didn't quite know what. Jack's mouth fell open gormlessly, body slumping with surprise at the news and eyes widening.

Mina, however, didn't look too shocked - she looked rather confused, and frowned slightly to herself. "A new brother or sister?"

"Yep," Johnny answered, nodding his head.

"Why a new one?" She asked, still looking confused. "Wait...so...are you getting rid of Lucy or Jack?...Or me?!" Her eyes widened fearfully. "Why are you getting rid of one of us?"

"We're not," Mavis assured her quickly, leaning forwards and pulling her into a warm motherly hug; one of the best things to do when another child is on the way is to assure any other children that they'll still be loved and safe. "It's another brother or sister - so you'll have three."

Mina's mouth fell open in understanding before she frowned again. "Oh...so why do I need a new one? Where is the new one?"

"It's in Mommy's stomach," Johnny told her, pointing towards his wife's lower half to show her even though it was flat still. "It's going to grow in there until later, and then they'll come out and be with us."

"But how did they get in there?" She asked, still puzzled. "Did you eat them, Mommy?"

Jack coughed awkwardly. "Okay, so...let's not answer that one." He looked between his parents with wide eyes, raising an eyebrow. "How come? I thought Mina was going to be the last."

"Jack!" Lucy hissed, glaring at him. "Really? Why do you _think_ we're getting a brother or sister?"

Jack opened his mouth to answer before it occurred to him what his older sister meant. "Oh. Right. I see." He gave a small grin to his parents. "Well, great. I just hope it's not another girl - we have enough of those."

His sisters both glared at him, quite offended, while Johnny just gave his son a thumbs up in agreement. Mavis just laughed, shaking her head out of amusement. "I don't really think we get to choose what they're going to be."

He grinned at their reactions. "Well, if you could maybe do some kind of spell or something that makes the baby a boy then go for it."

* * *

By midnight the news had spread all around the hotel - after all, Mina could never keep a secret for too long - and pretty much all of the guests knew. Luckily, Dracula had been told before this beforehand, so he didn't have to hear it from whispered rumours - and he'd been ecstatic by the news of a new grandchild to spoil.

"This is fantastic news!" He exclaimed, standing up and pulling his daughter into a rather tight hug. "How long until they arrive, Mavy? Will you stay here so that they're born here? And they will definitely get their own room, I promise-"

"Dad!" Mavis interrupted, giggling at his enthusiasm. "I don't exactly know how long - at least seven months to go now, but it's going to be a while."

"Still, this is exciting!" Dracula told her, pulling back and looking at her with a wide smile on his face. "We must tell everyone - your Uncle Wayne is visiting soon, so we can tell him then... Have you told your Uncle Frank and Griffin yet?... Oh, we must write to Egypt tell Murray!"

His daughter just blinked, quite disorientated by all of his rambling. "No one knows yet except you and the kids...well, and me and Johnny of course."

"Well, we must tell everyone," Dracula repeated, eying up the door to his office for a second. "Come on!"

"Oh, trust me," Mavis laughed. "Everyone will know - give it an hour and I bet Mina will have told everyone."

This positive news was a ray of light for them during this time; however, they didn't have long to bask in it before they remembered that the Ava problem was still an important and prominent one. And, man, was she difficult to please.

"Where's the chef?" She questioned a passing gargoyle waiter at lunch, looking down at her plate in disgust. "My food is not prepared correctly - there are still cockroaches moving around in the paste!"

"Madam, I believe that they're meant to-"

Ava glared at him angrily. "Don't just stand there, go and get me the chef in charge of this!"

As he scurried to do so, across the dining hall Mina leaned closer to her father fearfully: she still hadn't gotten over her fear of this tall mean vampiress and couldn't wait until she was gone. "Is she going to kill someone?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Jack snorted - but had gone paler than usual. "Though...I hope she doesn't fire anyone or anything. The food here is always so great, and it'd be a shame if one of the chefs got fired because of her."

"No, your Grandpa wouldn't let her do that," Mavis dismissed, although she herself looked a little nervous. She had stopped eating by this point, instead sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms across her stomach as they watched the display. "Besides, it's not like she'll kill him or anything."

The Chef (Chef Remy, as his name was) might as well have been dead; the poor monster stood there as Ava yelled at him loudly, berating both his cooking skills and the state of his food-covered apron.

"Poor Chef Remy," Mina whispered, and Johnny put a comforting arm around her. "Daddy, please do something."

Johnny did, he really did - the poor guy looked like he was going to burst into tears - but he knew that it would be best to not butt heads with Ava; after all, she had a problem with him for some reason, so the less he said the better. "She won't yell much longer," He tried to reason, half to himself and half to his daughter. "Let's just...wait it out."

The only sound in the dining hall was Ava's voice shouting at the tiny chef about her food - all of the other monsters had stopped eating, watching with wide-eyes and whispering amongst themselves out of pity for the monster.

"I can't watch this," Lucy murmured, looking quite uncomfortable. "He's such a nice guy..."

"He doesn't deserve this," Her brother agreed, nodding his head. "Seriously, someone's gotta say something soon."

But no one did; in fact, everyone just looked at each other uncomfortably as they waited for the hotel inspector to finish her rant, clearly as uncomfortable as the family were about her and her way of dealing with things. A few of the children whimpered at the loud shouting, crawling into their parents' laps and shaking out of fear; after a few minutes, Mina crawled into Johnny's lap too, Martha-bat in arms, and buried her face into his chest. " _Make her stop_."

"...you are so very lucky that I won't report this to the council," Ava snarled, gesturing down to her plate and picking it up. "And the next time you serve me food, you _will_ make it the way _I_ want it to be made! Understood?!"

Chef Remy gave a silent nod, a small tear dripping down his cheek and streaking his fur with dampness.

"Good, now go and re-make my lunch!" With that, she threw her plate at him; the poor monster, unable to react quick enough, ended up with food all down his front and splattering his uniform so that it was dirty.

Everyone in the hall let out gasps and murmurs of shock, quickly turning back to their meals so that Ava wouldn't catch them watching.

Lucy and Jack's mouths dropped open in horror. "What an evil bi-"

"Lucy, not in front of your sister," Mavis scolded lightly, although she looked just as enraged by the act. "How dare she?!"

"Mavy, no stressing," Johnny reminded her as Mina pulled away, looking confused as to what had happened and why everyone was so surprised. "Remember, it's bad for you, which is bad for the baby."

She sent him a small half-hearted glare, clearly not in the mood. Mina sat herself back in her own seat, bottom lip wobbling as she eyed Ava from across the hall. "Can we leave now?" She asked, looking as if she was about to cry. "I don't want to stay here anymore."

"Uhh..." Johnny looked around at their plates; thanks to the distraction, none of them had finished eating yet. However, he knew it would be best if Mina went and played somewhere in the hotel - somewhere far away from the inspector that so obviously frightened her. "How about you go do some exploring, and we'll come and get you later?" Mina nodded quickly, slipping out of her seat and heading for the door to leave as fast as possible.

"She can't be allowed to do that," Jack muttered angrily, pushing his plate away in disgust. "It's wrong, even if she is on the monster council or whatever; I thought they were meant to protect and look after us, not turn on us."

"This won't reflect badly on Grandpa or the hotel, will it?" Lucy asked worriedly.

Mavis shook her head, even though she wasn't exactly sure herself. "No, not if Chef Remy re-makes the dish well."

The night didn't get much better from then, unfortunately; a few hours later while the family were down by the pool to relax, Ava appeared and also sat down in a deck chair to watch everyone. Of course, her appearance just made all of them nervous - and it only got worse when she got up and walked over to them.

"I would like to ask you something," Ava started stiffly, looking down on Mavis with cold green eyes that would have made even Dracula shiver. "This evening I was woken up early by your little brat running down the corridors."

Mavis raised an eyebrow - as much as she knew she had to respect hotel inspectors and the like, she wasn't going to just let someone bad-mouth her kids. "My 'brat'?"

"The small one with the stupid little toy," The brunette gritted out. "She was running down the corridors _singing_ and laughing."

"Well, this _is_ her Grandpa's hotel," The dark-haired vampire stated, shrugging as if it was no big deal. "I don't see what the problem is."

"The problem is _her_!" Ava snarled, pointing a finger at Mina who was sitting on the edge of the pool and splashing her feet happily. "I don't want to be woken up by an annoying little _child_ at ridiculously early times in the morning!"

Mavis frowned up at the other vampire, not happy with this conversation. "She's a kid," She managed, trying to be polite but not really doing a good job. "She's in a hotel having fun - I'm sorry if you happen to be a light sleeper, but no one has ever complained about her before now."

Johnny, who had been listening in on the conversation, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, everyone totally understands... I mean, even Drac doesn't have a problem with it, so..."

Ava glared down at him with eyes full of pure hatred...it made him flinch slightly in his seat. "Did I ask _you_?!" She turned back to Mavis, clearly not pleased. "Look, just do as I ask or I'll have to write about it in my report."

"But that's not my dad's fault!" Mavis protested, frowning.

"She's his granddaughter, representing him, and therefore has to act correctly while she is in his hotel," The brunette continued, turning away swiftly. "Don't make me ask again - you're already on thin ice as it is."

The couple looked at each other as she stalked away; Johnny gave his wife a look of confusion. "What does that mean?"

Mavis was wise enough to know it would be best to not tell him that it was due to his ex-status of being a human - it would just bring him down, something they didn't need at the moment. "She's just trying to sound scary. It doesn't mean anything." He seemed to believe this and shrugged, turning back to watching the kids play by the pool.

As the dark-haired vampiress sat back in her seat, trying to relax again, she felt a stab of pain appear quite suddenly in her stomach. "Oh!" She bit her lip immediately to stop anymore noise escaping and put her hands on her tummy, giving it a rub for good measure. The pain had disappeared as quickly as it had come, and she instantly relaxed again.

_It must be the evening sickness coming late. It's nothing._

* * *

"Wait, Lu! Come back!"

Lucy ignored Celia's calls for her to return to the pool - she couldn't stand being around the other monster for a while now, even if they _were_ meant to be best friends.

Their night by the pool had started innocently enough; the two of them had just decided to laze around by the pool's edge, talking and gossiping about the latest scandal in their favourite magazine, 'Monster Girls'. It was normal and quite nice to experience after all of the drama so far that week.

But then the topic had turned to boys and boyfriends - and suddenly the red-headed vampire found the conversation growing quite uncomfortable and annoying.

"Look, just talk to one of them," Celia had tried to convince her, pointing to a group of admittedly cute flesh-golems. "I mean, they're built to be _perfect_ ; a doctor got all the perfect versions of each body part and put them together to make the perfect guy!"

"I told you, I'm not having a Spring Fling with a boy I hardly know," Lucy argued, shaking her head.

Celia just pursed her lips for a moment, clearly debating what to do. "Fine. If you won't make the first move than I will." And before Lucy could stop her, the part-gorgon had called across the pool area to the monsters in question, catching their attention. "Hey! Cuties! Come over here! My friend really wants to talk to you-"

"You are...you're unbelievable!" Lucy snarled, standing up and starting to storm away. "You know what, just leave me alone for a little while!"

"What?" Celia asked, looking confused as if she didn't know. "What's the matter?"

The vampire spun around and glared at her friend. "You are so embarrassing! Can't you just leave things alone, just for one night?!"

The other teenaged monster's eyes widened as she tried to figure out what to do. "Wait, Lu! Come back!"

And that was how she had ended up going indoors, still in her bathing suit and half-wet, alone and unsure what to do next: she'd never been so embarrassed in her life! Those boys, they must have thought that she was such a weirdo or something, having her friend call across the pool to them...Lucy started to pace the corridor she was in, starting to shiver because of how cold she was becoming without proper clothing on.

"Yeah, so, I was like-...ARGH!"

Before she could get a grasp of what was happening, she found that someone had fallen straight into her (probably from tripping or being shoved); she and the other person both fell to the floor, the stranger on top of Lucy, and let out small groans of pain.

_What the Hell was that?_

Lucy rubbed at her head, aware of a heavy weight pressing against her body and pinning her to the floor. Groggily, she opened her eyes and looked up at whoever had fallen on her - and then the world stopped.

The first thing she saw were the stranger's eyes - and they were the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. They were a dark shade of green, almost like the colour of moss...and yet, there seemed to be swirls of grey in there, dark and mysterious. A jolt ran through her body as her mouth fell open in surprise.

The stranger - a boy her own age - also seemed as taken aback. He stared down at her, eyes wide, and started to babble nonsensically. "I...oh...uhh...uhmm..."

"Woah, Damien! You alright, dude?"

The other teenaged monster blinked and quickly pulled himself off Lucy; his friends had appeared behind him, looking at the scene in amusement. "Ha, man!" One of them laughed, taking it in. "Having fun, man?"

The boy - Damien, she recalled - straightened up. He was quite attractive, more attractive than any other guys her own age, with brownish-blonde hair and pale skin...he must have been a vampire, too, judging by the fangs in his mouth. Damien looked at her and gave a smirk. "Yeah, I'm alright, dude - the girl couldn't control herself, you know?"

Lucy blinked as she realized what he had inferred - and she didn't like it when they laughed and high-fived each other. "Actually, I think you'll find that _you_ couldn't control _yourself_ ," She retorted, sitting up and glaring at him. "Seeing as _you_ pinned _me_."

His friends snickered again as she stood up, one of them punching him on the shoulder. Damien raised an eyebrow. "Really? And what makes you think you're special enough for me to go after you?" He asked cockily.

She gave him a mischievous smile. "Oh, you know...Count Dracula's granddaughter. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

As she pushed past them, pleased when she saw that Damien's cocky smirk had disappeared, she couldn't help but wonder what the hell had just happened.


	6. Chapter 6

The following night presented no fun activities for anyone to do; it was a rainy night full of April Showers, so the pool and outside were off limits, and then there wasn't too much to do indoors that hadn't already been done by the children. Besides, they were increasingly aware of Ava's presence in the hotel, and wanted to try and do something that was as far away from her as possible.

That evening Johnny, Lucy, Jack and Mina sat in the lobby and watched as guests came in while soaked from the outside storms; Mavis had gone to talk to her father about something (it must have been important too, since she said nothing else about the matter and just headed straight for his office).

Mina was the first to break the silence that had fallen over them while they sat in the lobby; she would have normally been happy to explore every nook and cranny of the hotel, she was aware of the scary hotel inspector lurking around...and besides, she'd done nothing but explore for the last few days, and she felt like having a bit of random fun before going back to it. "I'm bored," She announced from her seat on the floor.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Johnny asked, rubbing at his eyes; he was feeling exactly the same as Mina was at that moment, and just wanted to get up and move around.

While the youngest vampire thought hard for a moment, Lucy couldn't help but let her eyes wander across the room; that Damien guy was hanging out with his friends, and they were all laughing obnoxiously at some joke he'd just told. _What an arrogant douche,_ she thought, furrowing her eyebrows. _Even if he does have nice eyes-_

_Wait, what am I thinking? He's awful - he's not cute in any way!_

"...I want to create music!" Mina decided loudly, successfully breaking her sister out of her daydreaming. "Like we do at home with the pots and pans!"

"Yeah, that sounds cool," Jack agreed, sitting up and grinning. He'd finished his book long ago but hadn't found the energy to go to the library and find another one just yet. "We haven't done that in ages, Dad."

Johnny grinned too, nodding his head. "Alright! Let's do it!" He practically jumped out of his seat, excited to actually be doing something. "Let's see...Lunch has only just finished, so the chefs probably won't need the kitchen - there's gotta be like a ton of pots and pans in there!"

"And what music could we possibly play using kitchen objects?" Lucy asked dryly, standing up at the same time as her siblings and stretching her arms out - sitting down for so long had made her feel quite cramped. Plus, her thinking about a certain teenaged vampire had put her in a rather bad mood, so she wasn't in the mood for messing around with kids stuff.

"Oh, I know a song we could do," Her father answered, his voice taking on a teasing tone. "Come on!"

* * *

Dracula leaned forwards in his chair as his daughter finished speaking, all of his attention on her. While having her come to him halfway through the night and ranting nervously wasn't a part of his usual night-to-night business, it was definitely something he considered to be important.

"...And I just...I was wondering if it's normal," Mavis finished, looking down at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap. "I mean, I know it was probably just evening sickness or something - I mean, that happens when babies come - but I really want to be sure."

The Count gave her a small smile, hoping that he could offer some form of comfort to her. "You're right," He agreed, giving her a nod. "Stomach pains are common when pregnant, Mavy. Remember when you were having Jack? How sick you felt even later on?"

"Yeah, but this pain was different," She told him, looking back up worriedly. "It was kind of sharp and sudden - I've never felt it before, not even with Jack." She sighed. "I'm worrying over nothing, but I'm just nervous, Dad."

"I know, Sweet Fangs, I know," He said, leaning forwards and taking her hand in his. He gave it a small comforting squeeze, hoping to calm her down. "It's only natural to worry about babies before they arrive; your mother did it all the time. But it's nothing, I promise." He gave her a large smile that immediately made her feel all better. "Would I lie to you?"

Mavis raised an eyebrow. "Dad..."

"Well, except for then," He added quickly. "Mavy, believe me when I say that it will all be alright," He continued confidently.

She nodded, deciding it would be best to just not think too much on it. "So what's with all the paperwork on your desk?" The pregnant vampire gestured to the papers spread across the table in between them, and peered at a couple. "These look like job applications."

"That's because they are," The count admitted. "Uhh...Chef Remy, he resigned after breakfast this morning."

Mavis couldn't help but frown to herself - it was obvious what - or rather _who_ \- had caused this resignation. "I see...and did he tell you why?"

"No," Dracula answered, looking quite puzzled. "All he said was that he couldn't stay here anymore. It's a shame, because he was a great chef..."

He was cut off, however, by the loud sounds of banging from somewhere downstairs. He frowned, his attention momentarily diverted from his daughter, and looked around the room. "What is going on?"

Mavis looked around too, straining to hear any other clues as to what - or who - was making that noise. "It sounds like...drumming of some kind...is Uncle Griffin practicing today?"

Her father shook his head. "No, not as far as I know." He stood up and walked around his desk to get to the door. "I'm sorry, Mavy," He apologised sincerely, looking quite disheartened. "I will have to go and see what that is."

"Let me come with you," Mavis decided, also standing up.

Moments later, they heard voices start to sing - and it was immediately clear who was in charge of this disruption.

* * *

_BANG! BANG! CLAP! BANG! BANG! CLAP! BANG BANG CLAP!_

Johnny threw Mina a quick grin before he started singing - all four of them had different parts to sing, handed out accordingly by Johnny himself, and now they were ready to rock.

_"Buddy you're a boy make a big noise_   
_Playin' in the street gonna be a big man some day_   
_You got mud on yo' face_   
_You big disgrace_   
_Kickin' your can all over the place_   
_Singin'"_

His three kids joined in at that moment, pounding down on their pots and pans with various wooden spoons and utensils.

_"We will we will rock you_   
_We will we will rock you"_

Now it was Lucy's turn; she jumped up onto one of the kitchen counters, her low alto voice singing the next couple of lines smoothly.

 _Buddy you're a young man hard man_  
 _Shoutin' in the street gonna take on the world some day!_ "

Jack jumped up next to her, miming strutting confidently as he chuckled before singing.

 _"You got blood on yo' face_  
 _You big disgrace_  
 _Wavin' your banner all over the place!_ "

 _"We will we will rock you!_ " All four of them continued to chant.

"Sing it!" Johnny yelled, in his element as he sung with his kids; they hadn't done this in a long time, and he'd really missed singing and having fun.

" _We will we will rock you_!"

Johnny banged hard on a large overturned boiling pot before sliding on his knees across the floor to Mina, who was on the floor and clapping along with the beat. " _Buddy you're an old man poor man, Pleadin' with your eyes gonna make you some peace some day_!"

" _You got mud on your face, big disgrace_ ," Mina sung back tunefully, grinning back up at him mischievously. " _Somebody better put you back into your place_!"

" _We will we will rock you!"_ They all chanted excitedly, laughing as they clapped and banged their pots together. " _We will we will rock you!_ "

"Everybody!" Johnny and Jack yelled together, the red-haired vampire reaching down to pick Mina up and put her on his shoulders.

 _"We will we will rock you!_  
 _We will we will rock you_!"

Before they could continue, however, the kitchen doors blew and slammed open sharply. All four of the vampires dropped their 'drumsticks' and watched to see who had interrupted their music session - it was none other than Count Dracula, Mavis following close behind - neither looked too impressed as they took in what was going on.

The elder vampire looked around at all four of them with a raised eyebrow. "What? What is going on?"

Mina, who was very clever and knew that she had her Grandpa wrapped around her little pinky, smiled at him happily from her perch on Johnny's shoulders. "We were having a music jam session; did you want to join us?"

His sour expression melted slightly as he looked down at her but he shook his head. "I am alright." He looked at Johnny expectantly, who just gave his father-in-law a nervous grin. "Care to explain, Johnny, why you are in my hotel's kitchen and making so much noise?"

"Uhh... Teaching the kids music appreciation?" The red-head offered. "You know, 'cause Queen were like awesome."

"Where are all the staff?" Mavis asked - judging by the look on her face, she wasn't sure whether to be amused or not by the situation.

Jack coughed. "Uhmm...we don't know."

"You don't know?" Dracula asked, raising his eyebrow again.

"No," The middle child admitted shyly. "We told them to go and do whatever while we jammed, but we never told them how long we were gonna be."

Dracula blinked before sighing, running a hand down his face tiredly. "Okay, fine." He looked at the four sternly - Johnny in particular. "Who was in charge of this 'music jam'?" As if he didn't already know.

"Uhh, that was me," Johnny told him, raising a hand nervously.

"Well then, _you_ are in charge of cleaning _and_ finding all of my kitchen staff before bringing them back here." The red-head opened his mouth to protest only for the count to continue. "No complaining! The chefs are needed in here before dinner later tonight - especially since we have a very _important_ guest staying."

With that Dracula left, leaving the five family members by themselves. The three children pouted to themselves, now that their fun activities were over, and looked at their parents expectantly.

"Sorry guys," Johnny sighed, reaching and lifting Mina off of his shoulders. He set her on the floor, where she crossed her arms and frowned. "Looks like I'm in the doghouse tonight. I'll have to catch up later."

"What? Let us help," Jack offered and his sisters both nodded in agreement. "We were the ones who were bored and wanted stuff to do - we got the pots and pans out, so we should help."

"Nah, it's fine," Johnny dismissed, looking rather put out as he said it. "Although...I guess you guys could just help put some of the stuff away..."

The three were on it immediately, bending down and helping their father clean the hotel kitchen; Mina, who couldn't lift large objects as well as her siblings, collected the wooden spoons and utensils, while Lucy and Jack got to work on the pots scattered across the floor and on countertops.

"Seriously?" Mavis questioned her husband, turning to him and raising an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked cautiously, hoping he wasn't in any kind of trouble.

She looked him over for a moment, feigning disapproval. "You started a huge music jam in here with the kids... _without me_?"

Relief flooded through Johnny and he gave a small nervous chuckle. "So...so you're not mad or anything?"

"Mad?" She asked, snorting slightly to herself and shaking her head. "No! I just wish I was in here while it was going on - do you know how long I've wanted to do this kind of thing? Since I was _younger_ than Mina."

The red-head grinned at her before pressing a kiss to her forehead and getting to work on cleaning the kitchen.

Just as Mavis wondered if she should help them, a sharp pain hit her in the stomach - it was longer than the last time she'd felt it. Her eyes welled up as she glanced down at her still flat tummy and gave it a small comforting rub. "What's going on in there, baby-bat?" She whispered so that no one would hear her. _It's just nausea from the pregnancy...it'll go away in time._

And yet, she still couldn't help but feel somewhat fearful that it wouldn't.

* * *

"Oi! Carrot-top!"

Lucy, temper getting the better of her, spun around on her heel and glared at the group of boys coldly. "And _what_ do _you_ lot want?"

Damien, the only one she knew the name of, came forwards and regarded her coolly. "So, what's up?"

 _Seriously?!_ "Right now? I've got a group of douche-bags following me around my Grandpa's hotel," She snapped, crossing her arms and raising her head in a show of dignity. "Now, if you'll excuse me-"

"You're leaving already?" The other vampire asked, looking somewhat confused. "But we just started hanging out."

"Yeah," One of his mates called, sending her a smirk. "Come hang with us, babe - we'll show you a good time."

Lucy's eyes widened in disgust and shock. "I'd rather be eaten by the piranhas," She gritted out, turning away from them.

Suddenly, Damien was in front of her and blocking her path. "Aww...don't be such an uptight bitch," He said silkily, and she suddenly felt rather nervous with where this was going. "We just wanna hang - after all, you're pretty hot."

"I...I am?"

He gave a chuckle, breath blowing against her face in a way that shouldn't have been attractive but was. "I wouldn't be here if you weren't." Before she could stop him, Damien had put a hand behind her back and pulled her closer to him. His friends catcalled from behind them but neither of them took much notice. "You haven't got a boyfriend, have you?"

Lucy shook her head silently.

"Strange, because you're as hot as your hair is red."

If she could have blushed she would have...oh boy, would she have.

Damien leaned even closer, lips centimetres away from hers. "Hang around with us tomorrow night - we're hanging by the pool, and we'd love to have your company. What do you say, Sweet-Fangs?"

_He's an idiot, he's a douche...say no. You have so much better things to do._

"Alright," She agreed shakily, knees suddenly very weak.

He grinned, showing off pearly white fangs that would have put snow to shame. "Alright then. Lunch-time tomorrow. See you then." The red-head could only nod in agreement, giving a small weak smile as he moved away from her and back to his friends.

As the group walked away, continuing on with their obnoxiously loud rambling and jokes, Lucy could only stand in the corridor and wonder what the Hell had just happened.


	7. Chapter 7

"Good evening, Mina!"

"Wow! Is that a new dress?"

"It looks adorable, doesn't it, Joe?"

Mina politely smiled around at all of the guests as she grabbed a plate for breakfast; even being so young she knew how to cope with lots of monsters talking to her and asking questions - it was just something you had to put up with when you were the famous Count Dracula's granddaughter.

Usually she had her parents with her at breakfast, or at least her siblings, but not that night - her parents were both still in bed, exhausted, and saying that it was too early to get up. _Well, it can't be too early if breakfast is being served._ Then she had asked her sister and brother to come with her instead; Jack had declined kindly, saying he'd wait for their parents (in reality, he was just scared of running into a certain hotel inspector). Lucy, however, had given a different reason.

"I'm hanging out with a boy today," She had mumbled, not looking her little sister in the eye as she put on a pair of sneakers. "Look, maybe tomorrow night but I really just want to stick around with other people...people my age."

Well, if she wanted to be stupid then fine. Mina could get breakfast by herself - she was thirty one and perfectly capable of eating alone.

Except she wasn't really. It was only when she was standing by the table that she realized she was too short to see all of the food on offer or grab anything that she wanted. The little vampire huffed, standing on the very tips of her toes and stretching up as high as she could go to try and find what she wanted; it didn't work very well, and she soon found herself dropping back down.

 _I can just ask someone!_ Mina looked around to do just that before realizing that all of the other guests in the dining room were now sat down and eating quite comfortably - none of them looked as though they'd stop what they were doing to help her pick out some food.

Giving a sigh of frustration, she stood on the tips of her toes again and craned her neck up to try to see some of the food...she could smell it, but she just didn't know what was what... To try and give herself better leverage, she put down her plate on the floor next to her before placing her hands on the wood of the table.

_Almost...almost..._

Before she could stop herself, her hands slipped, causing her to fall backwards and onto the floor. Mina let out a growl, crossing her arms and pouting out of annoyance and hunger.

"Oh, hey! You okay down there?"

Mina looked up at the person who had just spoken, pout disappearing; a tall, lanky man - vampire - was standing above her with a tray of food in his hand, brown eyes wide as he peered down at her. His hair was a dark reddish brown colour, darker than her sister's and father's, and extremely curly.

"Uhh..." She said, and she gave a quick nod. "Yes, sir. I'm fine." She paused before shaking her head. "No. I'm not fine."

"Well, what's the matter?" The man asked.

"I...I..." She ducked her head out of shame. "I can't reach the food because I'm too short."

The man blinked. "Oh. I see." He put down his tray of food on the table and bent down next to her, offering her his hand. "Oh, well, that's okay. I mean, all good things come in small packages, right?" She didn't say anything, although she felt a little cheered up. "How about I give you some help?"

Mina, although proud and usually wanting to be seen as self-efficient, gave in and took his hand; he pulled her up into a standing position and grinned awkwardly at her. "Thank You," She mumbled shyly.

"No problem," He brushed off, and he reached an arm out to grab the plate she had left on the floor. "First thing's first: I'm Freddie. What's your name?"

"Mina."

Freddie just nodded and stood up straight so that he could see the food table properly. "Mina. That's a cool name. So, Mina, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Uhh...uhmm..." Mina blinked, thinking hard about what she wanted: she had been so focused on actually getting up high enough to see the food that she hadn't given any thought to what she wanted. "May I please have...some wormcakes with lots of syrup on the top?"

Her newest friend nodded and smiled as he prepared her plate for her. "Sure thing. So, you're staying for the week, huh? That's gotta be fun."

"It is," She told him happily, trying to peer over the edge of the table again. "Do you work here? I've never seen you before."

"Uh, yeah, I do," He chuckled nervously, piling some wormcakes onto her plate. "I only just started tonight."

Mina turned her head and squinted at him in confusion. "Are _you_ the new chef? You look really...really...young."

Freddie gave another laugh. "No, I'm not. No, that's my uncle. I'm just a waiter...well, kind of. I help out in the kitchen and stuff."

"Oh...cool."

The curly-haired man bent down so that they were on the same level again and handed her a plate heaped with squirming wormcakes. "So, Mina, where's your family? Do you they know you're down here?"

Mina nodded, giving him a small smile. "Yeah, they do. My Mommy and Daddy are still in bed, and then my older sister and brother are upstairs still." She took the plate gratefully. "Thank You for helping me, Mister Freddie."

"Don't worry about it - hotels are big and scary places," He gave her a warm smile before looking at her seriously. "If you feel lost or anything, you can come and find me or something, and we'll find your Mommy and Daddy."

The dark-haired child couldn't help but smile knowingly. "I think I'll be fine - I've been here loads of times."

"Well, maybe you can help me out then," Freddie decided, looking a little anxious and scared all of a sudden as he looked away from her and at the floor. "I don't really know what I'm doing but I really can't lose this job."

"Of course," She agreed, thinking hard of what she could do - and then it came to her. "Oh, I know I know I know!"

"Huh. I was kinda kidding," Freddie told her kindly, obviously not wanting to upset her. "Look, I get that you want to help, but I don't think there's a lot you can-"

"My Grandpa owns the hotel," Mina interrupted, and the man stopped talking. "He's nice, Mister Freddie...he won't fire you." She flashed her friend a radiant smile as she turned to leave. "Thank You again for helping me!"

* * *

Dracula had always considered his office a sanctuary - a room at the top of the castle where he could escape from particularly needy guests or from problems that were too difficult at the present time to solve. Only a few other people had been allowed in his office, those people consisting entirely of his daughter, Johnny and his grandchildren - and he had thought that this would never change.

Sitting on the other side of the desk opposite Ava confirmed that this was a thing that had changed.

"So, Mister Dracula," The brunette started in a silky sweet way that made him want to scratch his eyes out. "Why have you called me to your office so early in the evening?"

He put on the best smile he could manage. "Well I was just wondering how your stay was going, of course...is the room to your liking?"

"It's not bad," She admitted in a way that seemed kind of sincere but like she didn't want to say it. "I must say, your witches are very thorough with their cleaning - not a speck of dust to be seen."

 _So far so good._ "And the food?"

Here her small smile slipped. "It's okay. There have been a few...incidents...where I have felt the service was lacking, but apart from that there's not much to discuss."

"I see. So...the inspection is going well?"

Ava sent him a small smirk. "That's classified information, Count."

"Of course, of course," He chuckled nervously, tugging at the hem of his jacket a little. "Silly me...it is just that, if there is anything to improve on, then I would like to know...you know, so that the hotel can be the best."

"Understandable," The brunette agreed, sitting back in her chair and smoothing out the skirt on her dress. "Alright, fine. I'll let you in on a few tips - maybe you can improve before I do the write-up."

The Count did not like being played - he was one of the greatest, one of the most famous monsters out there in the world - and yet he was allowing himself to be a pawn in her game. It wasn't like he could help it, though; this hotel was everything to him now, and he would do just about anything to make sure that it stayed open.

"First of all, I'm fairly certain that most monsters don't take too kindly to being woken up at early times in the morning by small children running around the co-"

"If you are referring to my youngest granddaughter, then do not worry," Dracula interrupted smoothly, giving her a polite smile of mild interest. "None of the guests have complained about her playing - in fact, they quite enjoy her playful antics."

Ava raised an eyebrow, clearly not pleased with this - however, she continued after a moment, demeanour suddenly colder than before. "Fine. Second, I'm not sure how many monsters are comfortable with a former human staying in the hotel." She eyed the Count with her cold green eyes, and he nearly shivered on the spot - _nearly_. "He is your son-in-law, correct?"

"Yes, he is."

"So he stays regularly," She concluded, and he nodded slowly. "Have you ever asked any of the guests how they feel about him visiting regularly? Or have you just assumed that they didn't mind?"

 _Here we go again._ "Look, Johnny is a well-loved guest at this hotel," Dracula started edgily. "Now, I know some guests were uncomfortable with him staying when he was a human - but he is not anymore. He is one of us and we do not turn our back on our own kind."

Ava regarded the other vampire for a moment, face emotionless and blank. "And you don't think that, one day, he might regret the decision to turn - that he'll blame you _and_ your daughter?"

The thought of someone turning on his daughter made Dracula feel quite angry - but then he remembered who they were talking about and shook his head. "Johnny will not - I have known him for over a hundred and ten years, and he is a good guy." He couldn't help but smile to himself slightly; he couldn't believe it, but he had genuinely started to care about the clumsy red-head. "He wanted nothing more than to change and be like us - to be with my daughter... He made the decision on his own, even when we tried to talk him out of it."

"Well, as touching as that is," Ava remarked, bringing him back to the harsh reality of the conversation. "Humans cannot be trusted with our matters - you of all people should know this."

"Times have changed," The Count told her softly, hoping that he'd maybe get through to her. "Ava, I...I know what happened to you when you were younger."

The brunette froze, any signs of bitterness leaving her young face.

"They're not all like that," He tried to reason, taking a deep breath. "One human's actions don't reflect on the entire race... Just because your father-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ava had stood up from her seat with such force that it skittered backwards across the floor. She turned to the older vampire with pure fury written across her face, baring her teeth as her eyes glowed a dark red. "SHUT UP!" She hissed, and he couldn't help but lean back in his chair. "You have no idea what you are saying, what memories you are bringing up!"

Dracula stared up at her with wide eyes; no one had ever stood up to him like this before, and he had no idea how to take it. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything-"

"Damn right!" She snarled; in the blink of an eye, her eyes stopped glowing and her face returned to normal. "If you know what's good for your hotel, you _won't_ bring this up again!" Dracula said nothing, instead just watching her as she stalked over to his office door and yanked it open before turning to him. "It is not your business to go meddling with my life."

"I know, and I'm sorry," He repeated quietly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"Well, you did."

Ava sent him one last glare and left, slamming the wooden door behind her.

* * *

Hanging out by the pool was...kind of anti-climatic, to be honest.

Lucy found that the entire time she was with Damien and his group of friends they just ignored her, talking loudly and obnoxiously - or, even worse, they decided to leer at her and make crude jokes about doing things she definitely didn't want to do _at all_ , let alone with _them_.

"Oi, look at that girl over there!" One of his friends - a short teenage yeti boy - cat-called, pointing across the pool area. Lucy allowed herself to look and was extremely morified to see that they were talking about Celia of all people.

"Jeez, man," Another friend breathed, pretending to get all 'hot and bothered'. "Think she's taken?"

Damien grinned around at his friends cockily. "Not yet - just give her two minutes with me, though, and she might be."

_Unbelievable: ask me to hang with you by the pool and then talk about hitting on my best friend. Charming._

"Hey, did you see that new waiter?" Damien questioned the group, snorting to himself. Lucy couldn't help but frown thoughtfully - she hadn't even realized that there was a new waiter working at the hotel.

The group of boys all laughed and smirked at each other. "What a bumbling idiot!" One of them - a mummy of some kind - shouted, and the group let out noises of agreement. "Seriously, he kept tripping over his own shoelaces!"

_Uhh...what's wrong with being kind of clumsy? I mean, I'm clumsy and I get that from Dad..._

"Aww...is the Count's granddaughter getting all annoyed?"

Before she could register what was going on, she found that one of Damien's friends - a tall flesh-golem with curly black hair - had picked her up by her waist and thrown her over his shoulder. The red-head let out a cry of surprise, much to the amusement of the boys.

"I think she wants a little something-something," The flesh-golem continued, addressing Damien and smirking. "Dude, if you don't do it then I will."

"Do what?" She asked, not liking the sound of it. "Do what?!"

Damien chuckled as his friend put the vampire girl down. "Wow, you really are a blushing virgin, aren't you?"

_Oh my God._

He'd moved closer now, taking her hand in his and moving closer to her. "How about we go somewhere more private...somewhere where we can do things _alone_?"

"Uh...how about 'no'?" Lucy snapped, yanking her hand away from him. "I can't believe it - you _wanted_ me to hang out with you, and then...and then...and then this?!"

"Hey, loosen up, babe," The flesh-golem friend snorted, coming up behind her and wrapping arms around her waist; his pinky brushed against her belly button, making her jerk slightly at the uncomfortable sensation. "It's just a bit of fun..."

Lucy tried to pull away, only to find that all of them had surrounded her and were now grinning down at her in an idiotic way. "Yeah, well, I'm not having a lot of fun."

"That's because you haven't taken off your bathing suit yet," The flesh-golem crudely told her, and his friends laughed loudly.

_Okay, enough of this!_

Thinking quickly, Lucy quickly lifted her right foot and brought it down on the other monster's - as hard as she could. He jolted away from her, yelping in pain. "HOLY SHIT! SHE FUCKING CRUSHED MY TOES!"

It all happened in slow-motion; as the flesh-golem stumbled backwards, clutching his foot in pain, he tripped on a rolled up towel that had been left out. Immediately he tripped and landed on the floor with a loud _thud_ noise; his different body parts became detached, bit by bit, and rolled into the pool with loud splashes.

His friends rushed forwards to try and grab the different parts before they could sink too low in the water; Damien, however, stared at Lucy with a shocked expression on his face. "What the Hell?" He asked her, furrowing his eyebrows. "You...You made him...you know!"

She glared at him - she didn't quite have the power of a demonic face yet, but the face she pulled was close enough. "He deserves it."

Grabbing her things from the edge of the pool, the red-head tried to push past him; before she could he had reached out and grabbed her free-hand in one of his. "Look, don't be such a spoilt baby," He said silkily, leaning closer to her. "Just because you couldn't have me all to yourself tonight, it doesn't mean you have to storm off."

Lucy stared up at him in utter disgust and pulled her hand free. "Next time, don't ask me to hang out and then expect me to just sit there while you let your friends grab me like that...oh, and it would also be useful to _not_ talk about hitting on my best friend while you're at it."

Damien took a step backwards, clearly not used to being spoken like this. "Fine. Walk away - but don't expect me to come after you."

"I wouldn't want you to," She shot back, striding away and not looking back.

Deep down, however, she felt a deep sense of failure - she'd thought that, maybe, this guy had been special...she had been so sure that there was a jolt there, some kind of electricity...

It didn't make sense.

* * *

Mina had never really had too many friends at the hotel - the guests came and went, and although she often saw them again it just wasn't the same to her.

But then there was Freddie; he worked at the hotel, so it wasn't like he was going to leave any time soon, and the castle was close to their home so she could see him whenever she wanted. Besides, he seemed more than happy to spend his breaks from working playing with his newest little friend.

"So...this game..."

Mina shushed him and continued her work. "I told you, I'm going to tie this scarf around your eyes so that you can't see. Then, I'm going to run around and you have to catch me. Got it?"

Freddie gave a small frown. "Well...uhh...what if I hit something? Or _someone_?"

Mina just waved a hand in dismissal as she finished tying the last few knots. "No big deal."

"How will I find you? I mean, I could be walking around in circles!"

Hmm...this was a bit of a flaw. "Alright," She relented, but she didn't stop tying the knots in the scarf. "I'll hide in one place and then make some noises - you have to find me by following the noises, and then we'll swap when you find me."

Mina finished tying the knots and stepped back to observe her work. Freddie raised a hand and lifted the blindfold up a little so that he could look at the child properly. "I really don't think this is safe," He told her - but he sighed and gave her a weak smile a second later. "Still, it beats waiting tables for another half an hour." She smiled to herself in delight as he put the blindfold back into place and stood up. "So...do I count to ten or what?"

"Yes, count to ten," The dark-haired child instructed, backing away to find a hiding place. "And then...and then I'll start singing to give you clues, so that you can find me." Mina turned around and made her way down the corridor. "You can start counting!"

Freddie took a deep breath, nervous about what might happen if they got caught. "Alright...one...two...three...four..."

Mina quickly dashed down the corridor, looking for something easy to get her new friend used to the game. _Let's see...a plant. That's kind of too easy..._ Her eyes trailed up to the ceiling, and she grinned to herself - technically it was in plain sight but not _too_ easy. Thinking quickly, she ran up the wall to her right and stopped when she got to the ceiling; Mina sat down, cross-legged so that she could relax, and waited for her friend to finish counting.

"...nine...ten!" Freddie held out his hands in front of him awkwardly, hoping to feel out any walls or obstacles before they could hit him. "Alright, where are you?"

The blindfold was kind of covering his ears, making it quite difficult to hear things clearly...seconds later, he heard a high pitched voice singing out some kind of tune from his left and smiled to himself: maybe this wouldn't be as hard as he had anticipated.

Walking around without being able to see was strange to him as he stumbled forwards towards the singing as best as he could; turning corners in corridors proved to be even more difficult than not tripping over his own two feet, and he found that he had to use his hands and feel his way along the wall to successfully turn.

"Am I getting close, Mina?" He called a couple of minutes after he had started searching.

He heard the singing stop and a giggle echo in the air around him. "Yup...just a little bit..."

 _Huh...that's strange,_ he thought to himself. _She sounds as if she's...she's above me in some way._ Nevertheless, Freddie continued his quest and took a few more steps forward. "Alright...how much further now?"

"Hmm...a little bit."

He shuffled along some more, sneakers making a scuffing noise against the clean floors. "Now?"

There was no answer.

Frowning to himself, Freddie cleared his throat before calling again. "Mina? Where are you?" For a moment, he imagined what might have happened to her; fallen down a stairwell, been kidnapped, perhaps just decided to mess with him and go into a different hiding spot. "Mina?! Come on, this isn't fu-"

"BOO!"

Freddie let out a loud yell, hearing her childish giggles vibrate in his ear, and immediately started to freak out; something deep inside him snapped. Not even bothering to take off his blindfold, he started to run down the corridor at top speed, still screaming, so that he could get away from what had frightened him.

Mina, who was still hanging from the ceiling, watched after him: after a few seconds of deliberating, she dropped down gracefully to the floor and started to run up the corridor after him. "Wait! Wait! It's my turn now! Come back!"

* * *

Lucy let out an annoyed sigh as she trudged down the corridor to her room - at that moment, she didn't want to see or speak to anyone, not even her family. She was too embarrassed by how stupid her decision to hang out by the pool with the boys was, and she just wanted to sit in her room by herself to mope a little bit.

 _I was sure,_ she thought angrily, eyes trained to the floor. _I mean, it was just like Mom and Dad described their zing: crashing, falling to the floor, a jolt of some kind..._ What she didn't know was what that jolt was supposed to be: maybe attraction? Or was it supposed to be like electricity? _Hmmm...I really should have researched this further._

Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of loud yelling; the red-head frowned to herself, lifting her eyes from the floor and looking up to see what was going on.

Immediately something hit her at full speed, knocking her clean off her feet and to the floor with a rather painful _thump!_ noise. Head reeling from having something smack into her straight on, Lucy rubbed at her forehead and let out a small moan of pain. _I have got to look where I'm going..._

Meanwhile, Freddie, who had ran straight into the red-head, also stumbled to the floor. _Argh! Okay, something tells me that my arm is not meant to go that way..._ When he opened his eyes, it was completely dark - he still had the blindfold on. Groaning to himself, he quickly reached back and started to untie the knots in the scarf; luckily, Mina's knots were rather weak, thanks to her being a small child, and unravelled immediately in his hands. The scarf fell off of his face, and he rubbed at his eyes with his hands while he adjusted to the sudden light.

A moan of pain brought him back to his senses, and he suddenly realized what must have happened. "Oh man!" He panicked, blinking his eyes to get used to the light. "Look, I'm so sorry, but I can expl-..."

At that moment, the two of them looked up at each other - their eyes immediately connected, drawn to each other, and stopped all coherent thoughts in either of their brains.

Freddie's mouth fell open as he stared at the girl he'd literally ran into. "Uhmm...uhh...uhmm..." He'd never been good with girls, never, but none of them had ever rendered him _this_ speechless in his life. Although she was pretty much perfect anyway, there was something about her eyes...they were a dark attractive blue, swimming and giving away her emotions even if she didn't want them to.

As for Lucy, she found herself unable to speak for the second time that week - but this was somewhat different. This guy's eyes were different from Damien's - but no less beautiful and attractive: a dark brown, kind of like milk chocolate, and wide with wonder. Her mother had said something about her father's eyes that reminded Lucy of this man's eyes: wide, like he wanted to explore everything, and found pleasure in even the smallest of discoveries.

"Freddie! Freddie!"

The moment ended abruptly, and the two quickly looked away from each other. Freddie blinked again, still not completely used to the light, and Lucy quickly tried to pick up her dropped belongings just as Mina came running up to them.

"Oh, there you are!" She panted, breathing harshly as she halted next to him. "Are you okay? I'm sorry for scaring you! I just thought it would be funny, but I didn't want you to..." She stopped talking when she saw her older sister on the floor too. "Lu?"

Lucy looked up from her things and at her sister. "Yeah?"

"You said you were going to be at the pool," Mina accused, crossing her arms and frowning. "That's why you said you couldn't play with me tonight."

"I _was_ by the pool," Lucy said slowly, looking between Freddie and Mina in a slightly confused manner. "I just...I decided I was tired. That's all." She stood up, eying the other two vampires up suspiciously - why was a fully-grown vampire hanging out with someone of Mina's age? "And who is this?"

The younger child looked at the man in raw childish delight. "Oh, that's Freddie!" She told her older sister giddily, swaying on the spot slightly. "He's my newest friend - he works downstairs as a waiter!"

 _So this is that waiter Damien and his friends were talking about._ "I see."

"Do you want to play with us?" The dark-haired child requested, forgetting that she was meant to be angry with her older sister for not playing with her in the first place. "We're playing hide-and-seek blindfolded!"

"As fun as that sounds," Lucy muttered apologetically, walking past the two. "I think I'll pass."

As she left and went down the corridor, Mina just looked down at Freddie. "Okay, so now it's my turn to put on the scarf-"

"Actually," Freddie interrupted quickly, staggering up and smiling at the child kindly. "I think I've gotta get back to the kitchen; dinner rush is gonna be soon, so I better get back to work." When she pouted, looking quite disappointed, he put a hand on her shoulder tactfully and bent down so that they were level again. "Hey, I'll make sure to serve you at dinner - and we can hang out tomorrow night too."

"Alright," She agreed, nodding her head enthusiastically, and he stood up to head back down to the kitchen. "I'll see you later, Freddie!"

"Yeah, see you!"

As Freddie went down the corridor, walking quickly enough so that he wouldn't be late for his next work shift downstairs, he couldn't help but think of a certain red-haired vampire girl.


	8. Chapter 8

"I just-"

"We've had this discussion before, Mavy," Johnny interrupted, flopping down on the bed next to her and stretching his arms out. "Remember, back while we were waiting for Jack came along? And nothing bad happened."

"I know, but this is different," Mavis insisted worriedly, rubbing her stomach with her hands as if it would make everything better. "The pains back then were never this sharp or sudden - they were more like dull ones that built up." She sighed, lying back on the bed and allowing her husband to wrap his arms around her. "I know panicking isn't going to help."

"Exactly," Johnny agreed, snuggling closer to her in a way that made her anxiousness start to slip away. "It just tires you and the baby out and then it makes everything worse. Anyway," He leaned in closer, lips brushing against her ear and making her tingle all over. "Enough of all this sucky stress stuff - we're having a baby and everything is great."

Mavis just laughed lightly to herself. "For you maybe; you don't have to put up with your clothes not fitting, cravings, nausea-"

"Yeah, but I have to listen to you complain about it all the time." He flinched slightly when she gave him a small glare and immediately tried to backtrack. "I-I mean...uhh..."

"It's all fun and games for you," She continued tiredly, shutting her eyes and sinking further into his embrace - she didn't have much energy to stay mad for too long. "All you have to do is let me steal off your plate and watch me get fatter."

"It's not fat," Johnny disagreed firmly, moving an arm so that his hand rested on his wife's stomach. "It's a baby bump; it's a living growing baby inside of you and it's awesome in every way. Besides," He continued, voice getting quieter and more sly. "It's not just your stomach that gets bigger."

Her mouth dropped open and she jokingly slapped him on the head lightly. "Johnny!"

"What? It's true!" He stated, grinning goofily as they both laughed. "Anyway, what's so bad about getting bigger?"

"Try not being able to fit into nice clothes and not being able to see my toes," Mavis told him dryly, although she was still smiling at his previous joke. "Trust me, it's pretty bad."

Johnny just raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah. I mean, what could possibly be great about _this_ getting bigger?"

The red-head smiled knowingly at her. "How about...getting to feel the baby kick? Feeling it move?"

Mavis nodded grudgingly, knowing that he was right this time. "Okay, fine. That's not too bad...although, when they move it gets pretty uncomfortable."

"Uncomfortable?"

"You try having an eight pound weight shuffling around in your body," Mavis shot at him, shaking her head at how naïve he still was on the matter.

Johnny blinked thoughtfully, clearly not having thought of this before. "Huh."

Before she could register what he was doing, the red-head had moved his body so that his head was resting on top of his wife's stomach, hands moving to pull her shirt up a little. "What are you-"

"Shh!" He hushed, placing his ear against the skin of her flat tummy. "Do you think that they - the baby - would be able to hear me yet?" Mavis just shrugged, watching his movements with wide eyes. "Well, it's worth a shot." He cleared his throat, turning all of his attention to her abdomen. "Hey there, kiddo! You having fun in there?"

"It's not a gym," She muttered to herself.

Johnny just grinned and gave her a shrug before speaking again. "Cool, so...if you can hear, do us a favour? Can you, like, go easy on your Mommy? I dunno...maybe stop worrying her or something?" He paused for a second as if listening for a reply. "Alright then. Well, it was great talking to you, even if you can't actually talk back..."

"You are such a dork," Mavis snorted, smiling to herself. "Cute but a dork."

Johnny pushed himself up so that he was hovering over her, lips centimetres from hers. "But you love me?"

"I must do," She admitted, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him closer. " _But_ I think I'm gonna need you to remind me why."

* * *

Breakfast the following evening was actually pretty quiet, to say the least; no one had seen Ava since just after lunchtime the previous night, and her absence immediately brought a sense of being able to let loose and relax in the dining hall. Johnny in particular felt relieved: for him, it was the first time since the inspector had arrived that he had been able to just chill out with his family and not have to watch his every move.

"Who are you waving at?" Mavis asked her youngest daughter, watching with an amused expression as the child squirmed in her seat and waved her hand around in the air wildly.

"My friend," Mina answered brightly, not looking away from who she was waving at. "He's a waiter, and his Uncle is the new chef."

Lucy, who had been eating a bowl of Monter-Os cereal and staring vacantly into space, couldn't help but cough and become very aware of the conversation at the mention of the tall man - she could still remember the events from the previous night, and it sent a strange feeling down her spine.

"He's going to come over," Mina continued, pointing to him. "Look, that's him!...Hi, Freddie!"

Freddie grinned down at her and gave her a high-five. "Hey there, little bat! Did you sleep well?" She nodded, beaming up at him. "Great!" He turned to the rest of the family and smiled politely. "Good evening. Is everything okay over here - does anyone want a drink or anything?"

As her family either refused another drink or ordered another one, Lucy couldn't help but stare up at the waiter with wide eyes; she hadn't really seen a lot of him before except his eyes, and it only seemed right to look at the rest of him - to her anyway. He was tall and lanky in a way that was awkward but kind of cute at the same time; much to her amusement, his hair was pretty wild, sticking up in messy and curly reddish-brown tufts.

"...Lu? Hello?"

Lucy snapped out of her daydream at the sound of her brother's voice and looked around at her family in confusion. "What? What's going on?"

The waiter - Freddie, she remembered quickly - gave her a shy smile. "D-Did you want a drink or anything?"

 _A drink...oh, right_. "I'm, uh, fine...thank you," She added, remembering to be polite.

Freddie looked away from her, smiling to himself even more, and turned to the other vampires at the table. "Okay then. I'll come back with your drinks in a minute."

He walked away to go and get their drinks for them; Johnny, Mavis, Jack and Mina had turned to look at Lucy with curiosity and confusion. "Are you feeling okay, Lu?" Johnny asked. "You look kinda pale."

"I'm fine."

Jack smirked at his older sister knowingly. "Oh, she's fine alright - I think she was just _admiring_ the waiter's face."

"Shut up," Lucy growled half-heartedly, not in the mood for this. "I was not."

"Okay, let's not tease her," Mavis intervened, trying to prevent an argument from breaking out in front of all the monsters in the dining hall. "If she doesn't want to say anything then she doesn't have to."

It should have been settled there - but it wasn't: Jack leaned closer to his older sister with an annoyingly smug look on his face as he started to sing in a high-pitched voice. " _Lucy's got a crush...Lucy's got a crush..._ "

"I do not!" She snarled, twisting in her chair and glaring at her brother fiercely. "You shut your mouth!"

"Lucy!" Mavis scolded, shocked by what her daughter had said.

" _Lucy's got a crush on the waiter_ ," Mina repeated in a sing-song voice.

Jack grinned at her, encouraged further by this, and carried on his teasing. " _Lucy and Freddie-the-waiter-guy sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-_ OW! You kicked me!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Okay, let's give it a rest," Johnny interrupted, although he was trying to fight back a goofy smile. "Seriously buddy; I know it's pretty funny, but it's not nice to tease her 'cause she likes him."

The eldest child face-palmed herself desperately, absolutely mortified by this conversation. "I hate you," She muttered to her brother. Jack just smiled innocently - being the only boy, he had to find a way to vent out his mischievousness, and what better way than teasing his older sister?

Mina frowned around at everyone, still confused. "What's a crush?"

* * *

Ava was still furious; _very_ undeniably and _muderously_ furious. How dare he? Even if he _was_ the famous Count Dracula - the always-feared and terrifying Count Dracula - he still had no right to push that far!

The brunette kicked over a chair and sat down on the bed in her hotel room; the cleaning witches had already been in, so it was freshly made and clean. This was all because of that...that stupid human... After all, if he hadn't been in the hotel then there would have been no need to complain.

 _Just because he has turned, it doesn't mean he's not dangerous,_ She thought to herself angrily. _He could still turn on our kind at any minute, killing himself and others in the process._

She had seen it first hand - and now she needed to protect her fellow monsters from having it happen again...no matter what the cost.

* * *

Thankfully, that night was a clear and starry one - the perfect kind for another outing to the pool. The warm night breeze was quite a nice change from the cold ones that had been blowing in snowstorms and rainfall over the last few months, and it wasn't long until the pool area was full of guests.

The family headed down to the pool just after lunch, clad in their bathing suits and bringing items such as magazines, books and toys (in a certain child's case) to occupy themselves with for the rest of the night.

Mina sighed from her position on the side of the pool next to Lucy and Jack, wriggling her toes around in the water. "I wish Freddie could have come down," She mused to her older sister and brother. "But he said he was too busy tonight."

"Yeah, well, he's a waiter," Jack told her, not looking up from his book. "Which means he probably has other jobs to do."

"Like what?"

He shrugged. "You know...taking out the garbage, cleaning the floors in the kitchen. That kind of thing."

Lucy didn't say anything - she didn't really want a repeat of the light-hearted teasing that had happened after breakfast that night, and so decided it was best to just keep her thoughts to herself on the matter. Besides, even she herself wasn't sure what exactly had happened with this waiter guy - hell, she was still confused about Damien, let alone another guy!

"I'm going into the pool," Mina announced, standing up and heading back over to Mavis and Johnny; she handed her mother her Martha-bat seriously. "Can you make sure she doesn't get wet? She doesn't like it."

Mavis smiled and nodded. "Sure. I'll let her sit on the table, so no one will step on her or anything."

Mina, pleased with this arrangement, turned to her father with her hands on her hips in an almost-business like way. "Daddy, will you come and play with me? I'd ask Lucy and Jack, but they're being boring and just want to sit there."

Her siblings shot her a couple very sharp glares, none too happy about this description. Johnny just shrugged and stood up out of his seat. "Sure. It's been a while since I was last in the pool, so..." He looked at her in a mock-competitive way and grinned. "How about a swim race?"

She smiled back knowingly. "I'm gonna win, and you know it."

"Oh, bring it on!"

* * *

"The sky's looking kind of bright," Mavis murmured, squinting up at the air. "I think we should get the kids inside, Johnny."

"Yeah, in a sec!" He called, and she looked to see what he was doing; Mina was on his shoulders, squealing loudly and holding a ball in her hands. "Okay, now throw it above Jack's head and to Lu!"

"This isn't fair!" Jack protested, glaring at his family half-heartedly. "When she's on your shoulders she's way too tall!"

Mina, in response, stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

"I'm missing a good book for this?" He grumbled to himself, folding his arms grumpily.

"I'm getting out soon anyway," Lucy said, stretching her arms out. "It's getting brighter - and besides, I'm too tired to do much...and I'm getting _wrinkles_."

"Kill joy," Mina muttered loudly and Johnny laughed, causing the eldest vampire child to scowl. It didn't last long though, since Mina threw the ball for her to catch and the red-haired vampiress ended up getting hit in the face. "You should have been looking!"

Jack looked up at the sky and yawned. "I think Lu has a point. The Sun's coming up, and I'm so not getting caught out here when it's fully risen."

Johnny lifted his daughter off his shoulders and set her on the edge of the pool. "We'll finish tomorrow night," He assured her, giving her a grin. "Go get your towel and go inside now, okay?"

Mina pouted but nodded, clearly not wanting to head off to bed yet. "Can I go to the kitchen and get some candy? I promise I'll brush my fangs extra-good if I can!"

"Uhh...oh, alright!" He chuckled, and she giggled in delight as she stood up to go and get said treat.

Mavis tutted jokingly from where she was lounging in a pool chair. "You spoil her, you know," She stated, shaking her head.

"Oh, like _your_ dad didn't spoil you," Johnny retorted good-naturedly, hoisting himself out of the pool after his other two children. "And he spoils all of our kids too...not that I'm complaining much." He stood up and grabbed a towel from the back of a nearby chair, running it through his wet hair. "So, still worrying about that hotel lady?"

The other vampire sighed, nodding. "Yeah. I don't know...we always do so well, and I just...this hotel is one of my homes, and if it gets shut or anything..." She shook her head, trying to rid herself of all negative thoughts. "I always worry," She admitted sheepishly, standing up so that she could go indoors as well.

"Worrying does no good," The red-head reminded her cheerfully and following after her. "Anyway, I'm beat. I think I'm just gonna head to bed or something, 'cause I'm gonna collapse or something if I don't..."

"You better hope Lu doesn't try sneaking out again tonight," Mavis mused. "You'd think after getting caught every time she'd give up, but no."

Just before they could shut the pool door after them, a tiny figure wondered past them, humming to herself. "Mina?" Johnny asked, surprised. "Mina, I thought I told you to go inside."

Mina nodded. "I know, but I left my Martha-bat out here. I can't leave her out here in the Sun, Daddy, or she'll burn!"

"I didn't see her out here," Johnny said, frowning slightly. "Do you need help looking?" Mina nodded eagerly, already heading to look around the area.

"I'll leave you two to it," Mavis decided, yawning and continuing inside. "Remember, don't stay out too long!"

"I know!" Johnny called back, rolling his eyes slightly. "God, you'd think she'd know..." He started to look under some of the pool tables, looking for the toy his youngest daughter was overly fond of.

It was odd, as the red-head discovered moments later: there was no sign of the bat toy that belonged to Mina, but he could remember her bringing it with her down to the pool... _She must have left it with Mavis or something when we went in the pool_...

Mina seemed to have realized this too, and her bottom lip started to wobble. "We can't find her!" She sniffled, looking thoroughly terrified. "What if the Sun gets her and burns her?"

Johnny, at the mention of the Sun, looked up at the sky nervously; it was rising higher and higher, and it wouldn't be too long until it reached them. "Maybe one of the guests brought her inside," He suggested, trying to think of a way to get them both indoors without any injuries occurring. "Yeah, they might have left her at the desk or something."

The child sighed but nodded, allowing her father to pick her up and carry her inside. "I don't want her to get hurt," She murmured, quite upset. "And I can't sleep without her, Daddy."

"I know," He said soothingly, making sure to shut the door to the pool behind him. "We'll find her before bedtime. You know we've just checked the pool, and she's not there so she won't be out there when the Sun comes up, will she?" Mina shook her head slowly, and Johnny put her down on the floor. "How about you head to the kitchen to get some candy, and I'll head to the front desk so I can find Martha-bat? Sound good?"

Mina nodded, giving him a bright, thankful smile, and raced away so that she could get some candy. _Great...now I just need to find the bat._

However, this wasn't nearly as easy as he had thought it to be; down at the front desk, the zombies had just shook their heads when he mentioned a bat toy - one of them had held up a shoe, as if asking this was what he wanted, but it appeared that no one had handed in the plush bat toy.

"Crap," He muttered to himself, trying to think where it could be. _So it was definitely by the pool...maybe one of the guests had a kid with them, and the kid took it with them to their room...but I can't go through every single room, it's nearly daytime...I can't go back without the toy, though. Mina will be heartbroken without it_.

Before he could ponder anymore on it, however, an ear-piercing shriek seemed to shake through the hotel...and he knew immediately who it was.


	9. Chapter 9

Panicking, Johnny turned into his bat form and started clumsily flapping through the corridors to find where the screaming was coming from...every few seconds a sob would sound before another shriek, and it was painful for him to hear.

It was only a minute or so later when he found himself flying into the room connected to the door to the pool, and there was a huge crowd gathered. He immediately spotted Mavis and morphed back before pushing through various monsters to get to her.

"What's going on?" He asked quickly, looking around. Lucy and Jack were both there too; Lucy was crying, looking absolutely terrified, and even Jack looked quite scared as to what was happening. "Where's Mina?"

"S-She's outside," Mavis stuttered, trying to edge closer to the door: a ray of light stopped her, and she let out a yell of despair. "WE HAVE TO GO OUT THERE AND GET HER!"

"I'll go!" They heard a voice above them say, and they realized Frank had been standing nearby; the tall flesh-golem started to push through the crowd of monster hurriedly. "ALRIGHT! EVERYONE MOVE!"

There was no hesitance - all of the guests stopped talking and parted to let Frank push through to the door. Johnny pulled his family further away from the door forcefully, not wanting them to get hurt too. As their friend went outside and shut the door behind him, the red-head couldn't help but get visions of how his father-in-law had looked all those years ago after going out in the Sun...if that had happened to a tough older vampire, what would it have done to a tiny child?

 _No._ He refused to think too much about it.

It was one painfully slow minute before the door opened again and Frank came back in; he was carrying something carefully in his arms, as if shielding it, and he kicked the door shut before turning to find Johnny and Mavis. "I've got her," He said quickly, and he stretched out his arms for them to take her.

Mavis was the one who took Mina into her arms, and she started to cry out of both relief and shock; the vampire child was covered in red marks and burns, her clothes having singed holes in them, and she was sobbing at the pain. "It hurts, Mommy!" She cried tearfully, clinging to Mavis tightly. "M-M-Make it stop!"

Frank looked around at the other guests and waved his giant hands around. "Come on, give them some room!"

"Thank Goodness you're okay," Lucy breathed, wiping her eyes, and even their brother looked quite shaken by the experience.

"What on Earth were you doing out in the Sun?" Mavis questioned, clutching Mina to her chest. She didn't wait for an answer though; she turned to face her husband, annoyed at him. "You were meant to stay with her!"

"I did!" Johnny argued, feeling that this was rather unfair. "I told her to come inside, and she did...she must have gone back outside or something!"

Mina lifted her head - the burn marks, luckily, were starting to heal and fade on her skin. "I saw Martha-bat," She mumbled, sniffling lightly. "S-She was on the floor, with some candy...a-a-and..."

This didn't make much sense to any of her family members, but they decided silently that she was probably just delirious from her experience. The crowd of monsters parted, and Count Dracula came rushing to see what was going on: his eyes widened as he took in the situation.

"Let me hold her," He cooed, and he hurriedly pulled Mina into his arms. "Oh, you poor little bat...you'll be okay, baby, you will..." He looked around at all the guests, knowing they were probably waiting to see if he blamed anyone or something. "I don't care how she got hurt - as long as she is no longer in pain, then it...it will be fine."

"But it's not," Another voice said, and everyone turned: this time, it was a stern, brunette vampiress, who looked quite disgusted as she eyed up Johnny. "You see now, everyone? Humans are incapable of even the simplest tasks, such as looking after their young-"

And that was it - Johnny had had enough.

"Shut up!" He interrupted, glaring at Ava. The other vampire froze in shock, not used to being treated in such a manner. "First thing: I'm. Not. A. Human. You see these?" He opened his mouth wide and pointed to his fangs. "Yeah! I'm a vampire now!"

"But you used to be a human," Ava reiterated coolly. "And your hatred still hasn't-"

"What hatred?!" Johnny snapped in a rather uncharacteristic way. "I'm a vampire now! I'm married to another vampire and our kids are all vamps too! My friends are all monsters!" He threw his hands into the air out of defeat. "I never _hated_ anyone at this hotel, not even when that weird guy tried to eat me, and I totally never thought I would...but then _you_ walked in and just changed that!"

Several monsters, including his family, gasped, shocked by his admission. Ava glared at him, eyes hard and cold with hatred. "And yet," She said coldly, sending chills up his spine. "It's not my youngest child who is burnt all over."

This time, it was Lucy who spoke up and stepped in. "Mina's healing quickly," She pointed out, trying not to show any bias towards her father's side of the argument. "She's going to be perfectly fine - a little weak and shaken, perhaps, but otherwise fine."

Everyone turned to look at Mina; true to Lucy's word, she was perfectly pale again now - besides quite a few severe burns - and had even started to fiddle with the neck of Dracula's cape happily.

"I think it has been a long night," Dracula said slowly, knowing that only his word would put a complete stop to the confrontation going on. "I think we should all return back to our hotel rooms and rest until the night."

There were a few grumbles, some monsters clearly wanting to hear more about what had happened, but everyone started to slowly leave the room to get some sleep; it truly had been a long night.

Johnny turned to look at Mavis, scratching the back of his neck. "Look, I brought her inside," He insisted desperately. "I sent her to the kitchen to get some candy while I looked for her bat, and she must have gone back to look again."

"You shouldn't have sent her to the kitchen on her own," Mavis retorted, clearly not ready to completely forgive him yet. "She's only thirty one, Johnny - of course she would wonder off! And it's a big hotel too - she could have gotten lost!"

"No," The red-head disagreed, snorting slightly at the idea. "She knows this place like the back of her hand, Mavis, just as well as you do."

"That's no excuse!" She snapped, turning away from him swiftly and towards their children and Dracula. "We need to get some rest - Dad, can you bring Mina upstairs for me?"

Dracula nodded wordlessly, knowing his daughter was not in a good place at that moment.

She sighed, looking down at the floor. "Lu, Jack, can you guys go to your rooms? I'll be up in a minute."

"Sure thing, Mom," Jack agreed quickly, turning into bat form and flying away quickly.

Lucy looked at her mother for a moment, wondering is she should say something to comfort her - when nothing came to mind, she just nodded and morphed into her mist form before floating away.

"I'll just...bring Mina upstairs," Dracula decided quietly. "Will you be alright, Mavy?"

Mavis nodded, not looking at him.

The older vampire looked between his daughter and son-in-law; he, too, had no words in that moment. "Come on, baby bat," He murmured to his granddaughter as he walked out of the room and left the two alone. "I'll tell you about your Grandmother."

"What about my bat?" Mina asked tiredly.

Dracula paused, thinking for a moment - he remembered it was probably still outside somewhere. "Ehh...I shall get one of the zombies to get it."

Johnny looked at his wife as they left, sighing heavily. "It's not my fault," He stated quietly. "I told you, she...she must have gone outside again and not realized about the Sun." He stopped, an idea occurring to him. "You don't think...that I did that on purpose, do you?"

Mavis looked down at the floor, shaking her head. "No. Not really."

 _Well, that's kind of a relief._ "I'm sorry," He apologized sadly, scuffing his shoes against the carpet guiltily. "For letting her go around alone...and for snapping at that crazy lady. Maybe she won't do anything bad to the hotel, you know, to punish us."

His wife shrugged, clearly at a loss for words. "She hates us, for some reason. That's why she wanted us to stay, and I should have known...but she's just..."

"Too scary to say 'no' to," Johnny finished, nodding in agreement.

Mavis leaned against a wall, folding her arms across her chest protectively. "We might lose our home," She sighed, trying to hold back tears. "None of the monsters will have a safe place to go to every year if we're shut down; my dad will lose his job _and_ home. And the kids...they won't have this castle to come back to, to have when they're older."

"It'll still be here," The red-head said defiantly, moving forwards to put his arms around her. Her anger melted away, all bad thoughts forgotten; she tightly hugged him back, a few tears rolling down her face as she burrowed into him. "Whatever it takes, we'll make sure that crazy lady doesn't shut down the hotel. She can't shut us down for this - I mean, what's she gonna put?"

"That you argued with her," Mavis replied, voice muffled by his chest. "And that because you're a human then you're dangerous or something."

"Well, she's gonna look real stupid," He muttered darkly. "'cause the monsters reading the report will investigate it or whatever and see that I'm a _vampire_." He sighed to himself. "Come on: you need to rest, 'cause of the baby."

Mavis let him lead her towards an elevator, exhausted by the stress of the night - deep inside, she still feared that things were going to slowly fall to hell.

* * *

Once they had gotten to the right room Dracula had dutifully brought his youngest granddaughter inside and, carefully avoiding the more sensitive areas as best he could, helped her get ready for bed. A zombie came upstairs and delivered her Martha-bat from outside as the Count helped her put on her pyjamas, and for now he wasn't the owner of the hotel - he was a merely a loving grandfather protecting a child.

"I remember when I went outside in the sunlight," Dracula recounted softly as she watched with wide eyes. "I have to admit, it is not nice."

"It hurts," Mina whimpered in agreement, sniffling slightly and cuddling her toy closer to her body. "Make it stop."

He felt his heartstrings give a tug in his chest at how much pain she was obviously in. "Oh, baby...I wish I could, I really do." He put a hand over her own tiny one, squeezing it tightly as if it would give her some comfort. "It will get better, baby, trust me." Because she was so young, he knew that she might take a little longer than he had because of how weak her immune system was still.

Mina gave a small yawn but kept her eyes open so that she could look at him. "How come you got burnt by the Sun, Grandpa? You're always so careful."

He smiled slightly at the last bit. "I know. I had things to do, Mina, and I had no choice but to go outside - it was worth it though."

She just shrugged and snuggled down deeper into her pillow. She didn't quite understand how important that particular incident had been - after all, if the Count hadn't flown outside on that day she would not have even _existed_. _Yes,_ he thought to himself privately as he looked down at her. _Definitely worth it._

"Anyway, I think that it's time you got some sleep," He decided and she didn't even protest. "It has been a long night, and you need to rest so that you can heal properly."

"Stay with me," Mina requested, reaching out and grabbing at his arms weakly. "Please?"

Dracula nodded immediately, not needing to hesitate. "Of course. I shall stay until you fall asleep, don't worry." Satisfied, his granddaughter relaxed and shut her eyes - he could tell that she wanted to hear a story of some kind, and so started to tell her a tale of a rather funny incident involving his late wife and some library books.

Even though he put on a smile and told her stories of happier times, Dracula couldn't help but find his mind pre-occupied by what had happened that night - or rather, what this would mean for the hotel.

* * *

By the time the next night had fallen, the sun incident was far from forgotten; in fact, it was all any of the guests wanted to talk about - although, their hushed voices were still overheard by those who it concerned.

"It's fine," Mavis tried to reason with Johnny at breakfast when he stopped eating and looked down at his plate dully. "Seriously...we checked on Mina this morning and her burns are nearly all gone."

He just sighed, slumped over in his seat. "She's hurt. I should have kept an eye on her..."

"She won't remember it," Lucy assured him but he didn't even look up. "It's not your fault, Dad."

"Yeah, it's not," Jack agreed quickly, abandoning the book he had been reading. "I mean, it was an accident - she wandered off outside and got hurt."

Mavis shot them both grateful smiles. "See? No harm done, Johnny."

Finally, the red-head looked up and frowned. "'No harm done'?" He repeated incredously. "Seriously? She went out in the sun and got burnt - she could have died! All 'cause...'cause I left her on her own..." He looked away again, trying to hide the fact that his eyes had glazed over. "I'm an idiot."

"I think I'm going to go and get a second plate of food," Lucy decided quickly, and she nudged her brother in the ribs. "Jack, do you want to come with me?"

The middle child looked up at her in confusion. "But I'm not..." He trailed off at the look on her face and realized immediately. "O-Oh, yeah! Okay then."

The two stood and hurried away to the buffet table, leaving Johnny and Mavis by themselves. "You're not an idiot," She told him sternly, and he snorted to himself. "You're not, so don't say that. She's going to be fine-"

"She's going to hate me," Johnny interrupted sadly, ducking his head down lower.

Mavis could only blink in disbelief. "Why would she hate you? It's not your fault she went outside."

"Well, whose is it then?" He asked, shaking his head. "I left her all alone, and she went outside again-"

"Because she was looking for her bat," His wife stressed. "Okay, so I don't get why the bat wasn't outside while you were both by the pool and then appeared when she was on her own. I don't know why she went back outside when she knew the sun was coming up - but I know that it's not your fault."

Johnny leaned his head on his hands and sighed. "I'm awful at being a Dad," He muttered. "Seriously, I suck at it."

"Okay, now that's ridiculous," Mavis stated, rolling her eyes at how absurd it was. "You're an amazing Dad and you know it. Our kids get hurt all the time but that doesn't mean we suck as parents." When he didn't respond, she put a hand on his shoulder gently for some kind of comfort. "You're really upset about this."

He nodded in agreement. "Well, yeah. It was torture seeing her like that...all burnt and upset..."

She pressed a kiss against his cheek, and he finally looked at her with wide eyes. "See? You care about her - about all of them - so much...if you were awful at being a Dad then you wouldn't care this much. I mean, look at how my Dad was with me."

Johnny thought about it and realized that she was right. "Yeah, I guess so." He gave her a small smile. "How come you always make me feel better?"

"Because I'm your zing," She reminded him, smiling brightly and he was suddenly reminded as to how beautiful she was when she smiled. "How about we finish breakfast and then go check on Mina?"

He agreed and quickly turned back to his breakfast feeling much happier; he didn't see Mavis wince and reach to rub at her stomach as more sudden sharp pains made themselves present.

* * *

"Do you think they're done talking yet?" Jack asked, craning his neck to try and see their table. "I'm hungry and want the rest of my breakfast."

"Give it a few more minutes," Lucy muttered. "Just to be sure."

Her brother sighed, leaning against the buffet table. "Why exactly do we need to let them finish talking alone? It's not like they were arguing or anything."

"I just thought it would be a conversation for them to have alone," She defended, shrugging to herself. "You know, the kind where Mom will say really lovey-dovey stuff to make Dad feel better, and then they'll kiss or something to make up."

Jack opened his mouth to say something only to be cut off by the sound of someone dropping what sounded like a lot of plates onto the table from behind them. They both turned to see who it was and immediately recognised the tall lanky frame of Freddie.

"Uhh...hey?" The waiter offered awkwardly, straightening up. "I was just...uhmm...you know...putting the plates down for...you know...guests."

Jack looked between Lucy, who was desperately trying not to stare at the man in front of them, and Freddie before smiling to himself knowingly. "Cool. Well, I'm going to leave you two alone so that I can go finish my breakfast."

Before his sister could protest, he had walked away trying not to chuckle to himself and left the two alone. Lucy and Freddie looked at each other for a moment, smiling shyly and awkwardly, both unsure what to say.

"So," Freddie said finally, voice nervous all of a sudden. "So... You're Mina's sister?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. I'm Lucy...and you're Freddie," She remembered aloud. "Mina never stops talking about you."

He gave a small laugh. "Hehe...right..." He paused and his smile faded slightly. "I heard the kitchen staff talking about what happened to her last night. Is she going to be okay?"

"Oh, yeah!" She answered quickly, and the waiter breathed out in relief. "She got a little burnt, but apart from that she's going to be fine." The red-head smiled nervously, never having spoken properly to a guy besides family members for this long - especially not cute ones. "Mina told me that you just started working here."

He gave a nod. "Yeah. My Uncle got a job here, and he managed to get one for me too. He's the new chef."

"Oh...well, you can tell him that his food so far is pretty good," Lucy complimented. "And what about you? Do you cook?"

"Uhm...not really..." He gave an awkward cough. "Actually, I can't cook...at all. But I'm an okay waiter, I guess, so it's not too bad." To his surprise, she gave a small giggle out of amusement and smiled even more. _Huh...okay, so far so good. Just be smooth and don't ask anything stupid or weird._ "So, do you guys stay here often?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. We only live like ten minutes away, so we can just come whenever we want...well, that and because my Grandpa owns this place."

"Oh, yeah. Mina said something about that..." He trailed off, unsure what to say. _God, what is so difficult about just talking to her?!_ "I'm so sorry," He blurted, becoming more flustered when she just stared at him. "I'm not really good with talking to people...well, I mean with talking to girls in particular...not that I talk to girls often of course! I just..." He sighed and gave her a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," She told him, laughing at how anxious he suddenly was. "I'm not all that good with talking to strangers either, so we're in the same boat." Her smile faded slightly as she hesitated and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Uhm...I was just wondering...purely out of curiosity of course...when you get breaks and stuff?"

Freddie blinked, not sure he had heard her right. "Right...uh...I guess it's every so often...I mean, when I don't wait tables I have to clean in the kitchen and stuff, so I kinda just wait until one of the chefs tell me to take a break."

"Oh. It's just that I...uhmm..." She took a deep breath and looked up at him hopefully. "Maybe you'd like to hang out some time, when you don't have to wait tables or anything?"

 _Holy crap._ Freddie couldn't help it - his mouth fell open at the very idea that a girl - a cute girl at that - had just asked _him_ to hang out. "Sure!" He answered hurriedly when he realized that he still had to answer. "I get a break after the lunch hour ends, so...maybe then?"

Lucy smiled and nodded, suddenly feeling as though a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Cool. I'll meet you on the roof then...about quarter-past one?"

"Yeah," He agreed breathlessly, feeling as though he was flying sky-high in the air. "I'll see you then."

He watched her walk away, an idiotic grin plastered across his face, and leaned against the buffet table when his legs felt too weak to hold him up; not even knowing that he had to unclog a sink after his waiter duties were over could bring him down in that moment.

* * *

"Hey, Drac!" Johnny greeted cheerfully, waving his hand at his father-in-law goofily and taking a seat next to him at the bar. "How's it hanging?"

Dracula just rolled his eyes and stared down at his drink - water, of course, because a hotel owner did not drink alcohol while on the job. "I'm fine."

"Cool." The red-head looked at the older vampire in curiosity. "How come you're down here? You're usually always cooped up in your office or something doing 'important business'."

"I'm taking a break," The count said quickly, rubbing at his eyes tiredly. "This week has been rather stressful."

Johnny nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I get what you mean; a baby, the hotel inspector lady, that accident yesterday...it's been wild. Oh, that reminds me!" He leaned closer to his father-in-law eagerly and sent him a large grin. "Tomorrow night we're having this _huge_ party down here!"

"You are?" Dracula questioned, raising an eyebrow. "And who said that you could?"

The younger vampire just blinked. "Uhh...c'mon, Drac! It's a party!"

"Alright, fine," He gave in, lips tugging up in a smile - he really was getting too soft these days. "So what exactly is this party for?"

"We're celebrating 'cause of the new baby," Johnny stated excitedly. "It's been forever since we last threw a party or anything, so I thought it's be awesome to throw one now." He grinned at his father-in-law hopefully. "So? You wanna come? Everyone's invited - but you especially."

 _Nice to know._ "I'll see. But I am a very busy vampire, Johnny-"

"But you're the Grandpa!" Johnny reminded him. "You _have_ to come, Drac!"

 _Oh what the Hell!_ It had been too long since he'd last relaxed anyway, so he gave a nod and smiled at the other vampire. "Alright. I'll be there."

Johnny grinned, pleased with this. "Awesome. So, I told Frank and all the other guys that we were gonna start as soon as it gets dark tomorrow...oh, and there's gonna be food and stuff too, so...I dunno, tell all the chefs and whatever to just come and chill instead of working."

"After they have made the food for this party," Dracula guessed dryly.

The younger vampire just nodded. "Yeah, exactly!"

A party wasn't exactly what Dracula considered playing it safe, considering there was a very stern inspector staying in the hotel that week, but he decided that all of the guests needed to have some fun - maybe it'd make Ava loosen up a little (very unlikely, he knew, but he was still somewhat hopeful).

Besides, after all of the drama that week, celebrating something positive for the future was much better than dwelling on the turbulent present.


	10. Chapter 10

Over the years, the hotel rooftop had become legendary to Johnny and Mavis' kids; each of them knew what this particular place of the hotel had meant, what memories it held, and so took the opportunity to sit on it whenever they could. Gazing out at the sky had become calming for them, something to do in times of stress or anxiousness.

Getting to the rooftop wasn't the hard part, especially when you're a vampire - not falling off was.

Freddie let out a laugh as he slid down some tiles and fell backwards into a sitting position. "Wow! This is so much fun!"

Lucy, who had been on the rooftop more times than she could count, was far more used to having to stay steady and watched his fumbling in amusement. "You mean you've never been on a rooftop before? Ever?"

"Nope!" He answered giddily, standing up and wobbling a little. "My uncle and I never thought about doing this kind of thing... Wow! Look at the view from here!"

"This is pretty great," She agreed, nodding and walking down the tiles to stand next to him as they looked out over the landscape in front of them. "But have you ever seen a sunrise before?"

Freddie turned to her, surprised. "No. Have you?"

"Yes," She admitted. "Lots of times. My Mom and Dad...after they first met they watched sunrises together from up here and it kind of helped them fall in love." She sat down and gestured for him to join her. "They started bringing me up here just after I turned sixty - before then they said I was too young." The red-head laughed at the memory. "I was really scared at first, because I was always told that the Sun was awful and scary...and it is in a way. But it's also really beautiful...the way it casts light across a once dark land is just surreal."

Freddie carefully lowered himself down next to her and stared in wonder. "That's really nice," He told her, eyes wide as he took it all in. "I've never really thought about it like that. So when you watch a sunrise...how do you do it? I mean, the Sun burns and kills us, so I thought it was impossible."

"I know," Lucy agreed, getting an image in her head of what had happened to Mina recently and trying not to shudder. "But my Mom and Dad taught me how to be really careful about it - like, you can hide behind a chimney or something. You've just got to make sure you can find a way inside before the Sun fully rises." She looked at him with a small smile on her face. "So, besides being a waiter and kitchen garbage boy, what do you like doing?"

The other red-head shrugged. "Oh, you know...stuff." She sent him an expectant look, waiting for a real answer. "Okay, fine. I like talking to people - even though that kinda makes me nervous sometimes." He paused for a moment, thinking about it before continuing. "I don't really know. I kind of just want to make people happy."

"That's really sweet," Lucy murmured, surprised by this answer: she was expecting him to say something like, 'chilling out' or 'playing games' like all guys she had met...it was a nice change, she decided.

"And what about you?" Freddie asked curiously, grinning in a way that sent butterflies spiralling around in her belly.

Lucy quickly thought hard, not sure what to say - there was the truth and there was what she thought most guys would want her to say...she immediately decided the truth was the best way to go. "I usually just hang out with a friend of mine or with my brother and sister," She said modestly. "I'm not really an interesting person."

"Well, hey, neither am I," Freddie assured her, shrugging to himself. "But what's wrong with that? Besides, I think you're pretty cool." She looked away, smiling to herself widely, while his eyes just widened in surprise at his own words. "I mean...you _are_ cool...I mean..."

"Thanks," She laughed, putting an end to his nervous rambling. "No one's ever called me 'cool' before, so I'm going to take that as a compliment."

His shoulders slumped out of relief and his grin returned, clearly glad that she hadn't reacted badly in any way. "Okay, good..." He cleared his throat before speaking again, trying to regain some confidence. "So, how long are you guys staying here for?"

"I don't know. It's probably going to be until after that hotel inspector leaves," Lucy mused. "My mom always worries about inspections - this is where she grew up, so I guess I can see why she'd want to see how it goes." She sighed to herself, eyes trained to the forest below them. "I really hope it goes well...the last few times we could just tell it was going to be okay, and we weren't even here. This time though, I really don't know how it's going to go."

Freddie could see how much this was upsetting her - you didn't have to be a genius to notice the glazed over look in her eyes or the frown etched across her face. "I'm sure it will be fine," He quietly said. "I've worked at loads of places - hotels, restaurants, everywhere - and this hotel is one of the best places I've gotten to work at."

Lucy looked at him; the sincere smile on his face, the kind look in his eyes, _everything_ added up to him telling what he believed to be the truth, that he wasn't lying for her sake. "Thank You." She sent him a grateful smile. "How do you lose so many jobs anyway?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Uhmm...well...I'm kinda clumsy, so...that's probably a reason."

"Just because you're clumsy?"

"Well, it's hard to trust someone to clean up when they knock over everything in sight," He mused light-heartedly, although there was a kind of resentfulness behind it. "I'm lucky to get this one...at least that's what my Uncle says. That's why I've got to be extra careful now, so that I don't mess it up."

Lucy couldn't help but smile even more at his words. "Don't worry about it - my Grandpa won't fire you if you break something, you know. I mean, have you seen some of the zombies he's employed?" She snorted to herself, remembering certain ones. "Let's put it this way, they're not the brightest... When I was little, one of them thought that one of my toys was an actual animal and tried to eat it."

Freddie laughed at her description. "Okay, I've never done that before!"

"Then I'd say that you're safe," She decided firmly. "Seriously, my Grandpa is just a big old softie at heart; he won't fire you just for dropping a few plates."

For a few minutes the two red-haired vampires sat in companionable silence, just enjoying each other's company and the feel of the cool air around them. When Freddie looked up, he was smiling in a soft and relaxed way. "I'm really glad you asked me to hang out tonight," He told her sincerely. "I've had a lot of fun."

Lucy grinned back, suddenly feeling giddy and happy to be spending time with him. "Well, thanks for agreeing to hang out. I've had a lot of fun too."

Instinctively she moved closer to him, so that their bodies were inches apart, and the two continued to look at each other with wide eyes and childishly happy expressions. For a moment Lucy found her eyes darting down to look at Freddie's lips; when she realized what she was doing, she quickly looked back up again.

"I...uhmm..." Freddie mumbled, breaking the spell around them nervously - he'd seen where her eyes had trailed to. "I better get back to the kitchen...my Uncle, he told me I had to finish doing...uhm...stuff."

"Oh," Lucy said lightly, watching him as he stood up. "Okay. Well...can we maybe hang out later or something?"

He paused for a second before looking down at her and nodding. "Sure. I'll come and find you later, alright?"

She nodded, watching as the other vampire morphed into a bat and flew off the roof. Deep down, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that their time had been cut short...

But she was also pleased that, during the little time they'd spent together, there was something there...something special.

* * *

Thankfully after a full day's rest, Mina was feeling much better; the only thing she wanted to do was eat and have a fun night to take her mind off of the pool incident. Okay, sure, her skin still felt a little sore and irritated in certain areas, but she could feel her body working to help her heal and it wasn't so bad; she just wanted to hang out with her family.

However, things didn't exactly go according to her plans. Sometime after lunch that night, Lucy disappeared to go somewhere - Mina wasn't too sure - and was therefore unable to spend time with her; Jack also declined, saying that he was going to help with the upcoming party occurring the next night. Even worse was when Freddie also disappeared from the dining hall downstairs after lunch, leaving the child with no idea where he had gone on such short notice.

This left her to hang out with her parents - of course, she didn't find this too bad really since she loved both of them dearly. However, halfway through the night, Mavis suddenly left Johnny and Mina to retreat back to her bedroom while complaining of a sore stomach.

"I'm fine," Mavis hurriedly assured them, standing up and holding her stomach while trying not to wince too much. "Really - I need to lie down."

Mina, who was young and didn't know anything about pregnancies or what was good or bad in them, just shrugged and turned back to her game on the floor. Johnny, however, looked rather alarmed that his wife was reacting in such a way. "Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? You know, just in case?"

"I told you, I'm fine," She repeated quickly, already walking away. "You guys just carry on playing and I'll come down later."

Johnny watched after her worriedly, suddenly not very sure that everything would be okay; he'd _never_ seen her like this before, especially not when pregnant. Mina frowned when she realized that her father had stopped playing and reached over to tug at his shirt sleeve. "Daddy? Hello? Are we going to finish the story of the house taken over by animals or not?"

He gave a nod, slowly trying to focus his mind on something besides Mavis and her stomach hurting. "Yeah, sure."

Mina turned back to the dollhouse that they were playing with and pointed at various pieces. "So, right now the rats have tied up the humans and put them up in the attic...see, the ladder is down, so the humans can't get out because they'd fall and die." When she looked back at her father, he was still somewhat distracted. "Daddy?!"

"Yeah, I'm listening," He mumbled, looking down at the floor as he thought to himself. "Something about bats?"

" _Rats_ , Daddy," She corrected before folding her arms. "What's wrong? You look sad."

Finally, Johnny gave her a small smile. "Nah, I'm just thinking about some stuff."

"Is it because Mommy isn't feeling well?" Mina asked knowingly, and he nodded. "She's going to be fine - she's going to lie down and sleep and then everything will be okay again. That's what always happens in stories, right?"

He nodded, putting on the biggest smile that he could muster - the last thing his daughter needed right now was to worry or be upset in any way. "Right, yeah! So...the _rats_ have tied up the family, right? Then what?"

"Now the animals are living in the house," She stated. "The lions are living in the kids' bedroom, the fish and piranhas are living in the bathroom, because of the water, and then all of the other animals are just hanging around. Got it?"

Johnny nodded and continued to help his daughter act out the scenario in front of them; deep down, he couldn't help but worry that...just maybe...everything wasn't going to be okay.

* * *

The party could not have started any better.

It seemed that, during the day leading up to it, the downstairs bar had been _transformed_ \- guests walked in to music already playing, a bartender ready to mix cocktails and a buffet table already set up for when they grew hungry. Even monsters who didn't know what the occasion was felt the excited party atmosphere immediately and were soon happy to join in on the celebration.

Among the many guests, of course, were Mavis' uncles and aunts; they immediately surrounded the couple when they arrived at the party, talking excitedly.

"Man!" Frank whistled as he downed a large glass of some kind of alcohol. "Another kid! That's so...weird!"

"I can still remember when you were _this_ high," Griffin agreed fondly, gesturing invisibly to everyone. "You sure have grown, kiddo!"

"So how many is it now?" Wanda asked curiously - she had been there to help deliver their first child, and was interested to know exactly how many had been born since.

Mavis smiled, somewhat overwhelmed by all of this attention. "This is four."

Wayne let out a low whistle. "Wow...Johnny, can I give you a piece of advice?" Johnny nodded. "Be careful, okay? Seriously, look how many I ended up with - you do not want to be stuck in that situation."

If the two of them could have blushed than they would have.

"Are we placing any bets this year?" Murray asked suddenly, and Mavis turned to look at her husband in confusion.

He smiled sheepishly. "What?"

"You've been betting on what sex the baby is?" She asked, surprised and shocked. "Seriously?"

"Well, it passes the time," He defended, shrugging. "I mean, it's fun...and besides, I won last time."

Griffin snorted. "Please! It was a lucky guess!"

"If we're doing the betting thing, I'm betting on a boy," Frank interjected.

"I'm not betting," Eunice stated loudly. "But I hope it's a girl - the last two were adorable!"

Mavis just shook her head, not quite understanding why they had to bet on it - it's not like it would have determined what the baby was going to be in any way. Still...she supposed it _was_ kind of annoying, not being able to know until the actual birth part was over.

Across the room, the kids had split up from their parents and were joining in with the mass of monsters dancing; Lucy and Jack took turns holding hands with their younger sister, doing silly little dances to make her giggle underneath the lights.

"I wish we could do this all the time!" She shouted to them over the loud music, laughing when her brother spun her under his arm. "This is so much fun!"

"Man, I can't even remember the last time we had a party," Jack thought aloud, and his sisters nearly couldn't hear him. "It must have been just after you turned a hundred, Lu..."

He spun his little sister outwards so that she could dance with Lucy - however, the youngest child stopped dancing and her mouth fell open in a wide grin. "FREDDIE!"

Her older siblings watched after her as she ran through the crowd and up to the tall lanky vampire; he grinned back at Mina and bent down so that he could give her a hug. "Hey there, lil' bat! How's it going?"

"You came," She stated breathlessly, face alive with excitement. "You came, you actually came!"

"I sure did! Did you think I'd miss out on something like this?"

He straightened up just as she grabbed his hands and started to pull him over to where her siblings were watching. "Come on, come and dance with us!"

Freddie's smile faltered a little at the prospect of having to dance but he let her drag him to the other vampires. "Hey," He greeted nervously, eyes lingering on Lucy for a moment that was way too long to be normal. "So..."

"We can pair up!" Mina exclaimed, practically bouncing on the spot. "You can pair up with me, and then Lucy and Jack can be together because they're both boring teenagers!"

Jack glared at her half-heartedly. "Well, I'm certainly not dancing with you now that you've just said that."

Lucy hurriedly grabbed her brother and nodded at her younger sister. "Yeah, alright! That's cool."

Jack shot her a confused look but reluctantly started swaying on the spot with her awkwardly. "What the He-"

"I think I like him," The red-head blurted, cringing on the spot after she'd said it. "What do I do?"

"What do you mean you 'like him'?" Her brother questioned in disbelief.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I mean I think I'm in love with him, you idiot."

"Man...and to think, I was only kidding about the crush thing," The younger vampire muttered, eyes wide. "Why do you think you're in love with him then? What's so special?"

"I...I don't know. I just, I get the feeling that...that _he_ 's special," She admitted and they stopped swaying on the spot as they continued to talk. "We were on the rooftop yesterday night and we just...we connected, you know? And then I _swear_ I felt something when I looked at him the other night, when he crashed into me. Like a jolt, like...like..."

"Like a zing," Jack finished, and she nodded. "Jeesh, Lu...I know I told you that you'd find your zing, but this young?" He peered over at Freddie, who was goofily dancing with their younger sister clumsily. "How old is he? He looks a lot older than you."

"He is; he's a fully-grown vampire and he has been for years now." She sighed. "What do I do?"

The younger vampire just bit his lip thoughtfully. "I don't know...I mean, I've never been in this kind of situation before, so..." He looked back at the vampire man in question, mulling his thoughts over in his head. "I guess the only thing you can do is wait to see if he feels the same before jumping straight into it."

"You're right," Lucy agreed hesitantly - it hadn't even occurred to her that there was a chance she was completely wrong and that he didn't like her back.

_I guess I'm going to have to find out._

* * *

"I'm tired!" Mina called up to Freddie, stifling a yawn. "Can I go to the bathroom and come back?"

He nodded. "Yeah, of course!"

Mina gestured for him to bend down, so that they could be eye-level, and didn't speak again until he had lowered himself next to her. "While I go, you can dance with Lucy; she really likes it, but she never has anyone to dance with."

Freddie nervously eyed up the other vampire from across the room; Lucy and Jack had long decided to stop dancing and were now sitting at a table talking with a couple glasses of monster soda. "I...uhmm...sure."

As Mina pushed her way through the crowd of monsters, Freddie straightened up and took a few deep breaths before starting to make his way over to the table that Lucy was sat at. He didn't even know why he was nervous...well, besides the fact that whenever he danced he constantly worried about knocking someone's fangs out...

"Hey," He greeted shyly, stopping at the table and looking down at Lucy nervously. She seemed surprised that he had come over to talk to her but waited patiently for him to figure out the words he wanted to say. "So...uhmm...Mina went to the bathroom, and I was just wondering...if you'd dance with me. Not that you have to, of course! I mean, if you'd rather not then I completely underst-"

"I'd love to," Lucy interrupted, standing up and smiling at him brightly.

As they walked back to the dance floor, they heard Jack call a, "Have fun!" cheekily but ignored him - both of them were kind of nervous about dancing, considering that neither of them were particularly graceful.

A new song came on and, much to their embarrassment, it was a slow song. "We can wait until the next one comes on," Freddie blurted before panicking again. "Not that I don't want to slow-dance with you! I mean, I'm sure you're very good at it...well, in a manner of speaking..."

"You ramble a lot when you're nervous," She remarked good-naturedly, and he was relieved to see that she was amused. "Come on, I want to dance to this one."

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing_   
_Watch you smile while you are sleeping_   
_While you're far away and dreaming_   
_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender_   
_I could stay lost in this moment forever_   
_Very moment spent with you is a moment I treasure_

It was awkward at first, to say the least; neither of them had ever slow-danced properly with someone of the opposite sex, so for the first few lines it was merely hands positioning themselves in the right places. After that they had to try and work out a way to sway properly in a way that wouldn't cause either of them to have an accident.

"Is this okay?" Freddie asked anxiously.

Lucy gave a laugh. "Yes! Is this okay with you?"

He grinned widely. "I think so."

_Don't wanna close my eyes_   
_I don't wanna fall asleep_   
_'Cause I'd miss you, baby_   
_And I don't wanna miss a thing_   
_'Cause even when I dream of you_   
_The sweetest dream would never do_   
_I'd still miss you, baby_   
_And I don't wanna miss a thing_

This was a human song so neither of them knew it that well - Lucy knew it a little better simply because her Dad had played it all the time around the house (usually when trying to woo her Mom in some way). However, they could both guess that it was a romantic song and Freddie was sure that he would have blushed if he could have; he wasn't good with girls in any way and he was _terrified_ that he'd ruin it at any moment.

But then she leaned in closer to him, hand tightly gripping his and her mouth forming a breath-taking smile that could only be from the feeling of being content. He continued to grin down at her, hyper-aware of the feel of her body in his arms, her weight against his.

_Lying close to you feeling your heart beating_   
_And I'm wondering what you're dreaming,_   
_Wondering if it's me you're seeing_   
_Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together_   
_And I just wanna stay with you_   
_In this moment forever, forever and ever_

Boy, did they want to stay in that moment forever...the feelings were so raw, so passionate...

Lucy leaned in even closer to him, and for one crazy moment Freddie thought that she was going to kiss him there and then - it was only when she simply laid her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes and enjoying the dance, that he realized he had actually _wanted_ her to.

* * *

Mina hummed as she stood on her tiptoes and washed her hands in the sink; she couldn't wait to get back to the party and dance with her friend again, so she quickly rinsed her hands and turned the tap off.

It was only when she was heading for the door that she heard someone let out a sob.

Turning back around, Mina peered around the bathroom anxiously. "Hello?" She called, looking around.

The only reply was another choked out sob.

 _Maybe someone's hurt...I should go and help them_.

If she was one thing, it was brave - after all, she _was_ Dracula's granddaughter - and so she started to peek under the different stalls for any sign of someone else, someone who needed her help desperately. She saw a pair of feet in the end stall and looked underneath all of the overs quickly - no one else was in them. Deciding that she'd probably found the hurt monster, she started to walk towards the end stall. "Hey there! Are you ok-"

Mina stopped dead in her tracks as the stench hit her - it was acrid, a burning smell that she knew too well. It was a smell that was usually concentrated and dilated so that it wouldn't be too fatty to drink...a smell that she immediately knew.

Blood.

The door to the stall was open, she could tell, and she immediately worried that the injured monster had been in so much pain that they hadn't been able to even lock the toilet door behind them. Still, it would help her help them, so she took a few tentative steps forwards. "H-Hello? C-Can you speak to me?"

A choke sounded and the vampire child shuddered to herself from both the noise and the stench assaulting her senses and making her dizzy: she had no choice. She was going to have to open the door herself and find out for herself what was going on.

Taking a deep breath, Mina placed her hands on the wood of the door and pushed it open.

* * *

The song was drawing to a close, and the two red-haired vampires just gazed at each other with unsure expressions - now what?

"I...uhmm..." Freddie mumbled, not knowing what to do next. "Thank You...for dancing with me."

"Thanks for asking," Lucy said softly, and once again she found that her eyes were drawn to his lips...she badly wanted to kiss him, she really did. "I...I have something to tell you."

Freddie looked down at her, waiting patiently. "Alright. What is it?"

Lucy opened her mouth to speak, but she was cut off by the sound of sobbing - she'd heard enough of it the last few days to know immediately who it was. "Mina?"

The older vampire's smile disappeared as they pulled away and looked around. All of the other monsters had stopped dancing, and everyone was muttering as they tried to figure out why Mina was screaming and crying so much.

"We've got to get to her," Freddie stated, and the two pushed their way through the crowd hurriedly; both of them cared about the child and were suddenly terrified to see what was wrong with her...after all this week, she shouldn't have had to put up with another incident...

By the time they managed to make their way over to her, Mina had flung herself in her father's arms and was clutching onto him tightly as she sobbed hard. Johnny rubbed circles on her back soothingly with his fingers and just gently hugged her back. "What's the matter, kiddo?" He asked softly, eyes wide at how sudden the whole thing had been. "Are you alright?"

She shook her head, eyes squeezed shut. "I...I...I s-s-s-saw it...D-D-Daddy, m-make it go a-a-away!"

"Make what go away?" He asked cluelessly as Count Dracula appeared and bent down beside them to see what was wrong with his granddaughter. "What's wrong?"

Mina opened her eyes and let out a sob. "T-T-There was s-s-so much b-b-blood..."

This immediately sent waves of alarm through the crowd, and everyone looked around at each other worriedly. Dracula was alert instantly. "Blood? Where? Who's hurt, Mina?"

She pulled away, eyes watering and bottom lip trembling. "I-I-In the bathroom...I-I-I heard s-s-someone crying, s-so I went t-to see what was wrong...a-a-a-and..." A fresh wave of tears rolled down her cheeks and she immediately hid her face in Johnny's neck. "I'm s-scared."

"Who is hurt?" Dracula insisted, suddenly terrified; the thought of anyone being hurt and alone in his hotel was not pleasant, since the reason he'd built the hotel in the first place was to prevent this kind of thing from happening. "Baby-bat, please tell us!"

Mina sniffled loudly, and although her words were muffled it was crystal clear what she was saying. "I-It's Mommy...she's sitting in the toilet...a-a-and th-there's so much b-b-blood!"


	11. Chapter 11

Life had never looked so grey.

Greyer than his days before the hotel.

Greyer than having to watch his parents die.

Greyer than watching his brothers die, one-by-one.

It was grey, just like Mavis' face.

He didn't understand it, not one bit, and he would openly - happily - admit that for all the world as often as he had to...

Not that it would bring their baby back.

Johnny had never been religious, it wasn't his thing, and yet he found himself questioning God - whatever freakin' deity was in charge - in his head; one question was more prominent than the others.

_Why?_

Why did this happen? Why to a baby - a baby that was innocent and weak and pure that it couldn't even survive outside of its mother's womb? Why to _them_?

Why _their_ baby?

Mavis...there were no words to describe how she was feeling; "sad" and "devastated" were nowhere near strong enough. She cried - when she couldn't, when the tears ran out, she was a shell of her former self...emotionless and dull. She did not speak or respond to anything or anyone: not her father, not Johnny, not even the kids. She just...sat there in her bed, eyes wide and red-rimmed, face ghostly pale.

Beautifully tragic.

As for Johnny...he was utterly _heartbroken_. _Destroyed_. In the short time he'd known about this child, he had already conjured up an image in his mind: what they would look like, how they'd fit into their lives, how perfect it would all be. He had loved this child without even properly knowing them - and he had suffered the consequences when it all went to hell.

It was wrong - so very, very wrong - that their baby was gone so soon.

Johnny didn't have much time to grieve - in fact, he had none. He was to be there for Mavis, to help her through this; men weren't supposed to grieve, they were solid and tough. They were protectors...they were not meant to have feelings, not about this.

But he did - and he was _drowning_ in them, lost and unsure.

He wanted to curl up and cry; instead, he sat with Mavis and held her silently while she broke inside. He wanted to yell and kick and just _scream_ until he couldn't; he walked around the hotel by himself, ignoring people's condolences, and muttered, "I'm fine" to himself over and over again.

_Why? Why? Why?_

He would never know.

* * *

The thing about it all was that Lucy and Jack's priorities changed immediately: their parents needed time to grieve, to just comfort each other... Mina was now their priority.

Jack, who was younger than his sister by thirteen years, gave up being the protector of his sisters after a few hours; he, too, had no freaking idea why the hell _this_ had happened, especially to _them_ and just wanted to curl up until it was all over. This left Lucy to take over in a mothering role and make sure that her younger siblings were as looked after as possible.

"I want Daddy to tuck me in," Mina had said that morning, sniffling. Everyone - even the guests who didn't know her - had been shell-shocked when they realized that she had actually _seen_...seen _it_ , and it was clear that she wasn't going to forget it very easily. "Where's Mommy and Daddy?"

"They're...busy," Lucy sighed, pulling the duvet over her little sister's form. "You need to behave now, alright? They're not going to be alright for a while, and you've got to be as good as possible."

Mina wriggled slightly. "I will. Will Mommy be okay?" Her eyes widened. "Is she going to die?"

"No," Lucy assured her quickly. "No, of course not. She just...she's just going to be very sad. Get some sleep."

The younger child gave a tearful sniff. "I want to, I really do...but I...a-a-all that bl-blood..."

"Try to forget it," Her older sister said softly, fighting the urge to gag at the thought of what must have been seen; she had seen her mother being carried up the stairs clinging to her father desperately...she'd seen part of the mess left on clothing, stains that may never come out. "Go to sleep and then the bad pictures will go away."

"Okay."

"Sweet nightmares," Lucy murmured, leaning down to kiss her sister on the forehead. "Try to dream of bats today. I'll be down the hallway if you want someone to cuddle, okay?"

Mina nodded, shutting her eyes tightly and gripping her Martha-bat in her arms. No matter what she did that night, she was going to remember what she had seen.

Jack, who was older and did not need tucking in, simply gave his sister a sombre nod when she came to check on him. "I'll sleep in a minute," He mumbled, clutching a book against his chest as if it were a cuddly toy of some kind. "I just...let me read? So that I can forget, even if it's only for an hour."

Lucy nodded, not too bothered by this method of coping; if he wanted to read, then he should read.

None of the children slept well that day, and when the night fell it was both a blessing and a curse.

It was the first night of trying to cope, trying to get over this tragedy...and it wasn't going to be easy in any way.

* * *

Breakfast was a very quiet affair.

Freddie sighed as he looked out over the dining hall; very few guests had ordered anything to eat, instead choosing to sit in groups and just talk quietly about the ordeal last night. This also meant that he didn't have to serve anyone drinks - he was therefore unable to do much more than stand around and think.

He didn't know a lot about Lucy and Mina's parents, but he'd served them a few times in the past week and they had seemed like genuinely nice people...besides, the two younger vampires were rather polite and obviously thought of their Mom and Dad highly.

Even so, no one deserved for _that_ to happen to them though... _no one_.

"Still thinkin' about it, huh?"

He felt tears form in his eyes and blinked them away furiously - he had to stop being so emotional, he really did. "N-No..."

His Uncle gave a light chuckle. "You always were an awful liar..." His smile disappeared immediately and he leaned against the buffet table next to his nephew. "I didn't get as good a view as you did, thankfully, so I don't know how bad it was. To be honest, I don't really want to."

"It was...terrifying," Freddie said in horror, shaking his head. All he could remember was Mina sobbing out what she'd seen in the bathroom and then a small group of the bravest monsters (including Dracula and Johnny) going to the bathroom to try and fix the situation.

Of course, nothing would have fixed it.

He himself hadn't gone - he wouldn't have been able to, it made him ill to think about - but he'd seen the cleaning witches running around that area earlier that night, obviously trying to clean up the mess... You didn't have to be a genius to see the tears glistening in their eyes.

"I know you're friendly with the little one," His Uncle stated, reaching up and scratching his ear. "Maybe try and help take her mind off it?"

The red-head gave a nod. "I would, but it's just...the shifts..."

"Don't worry about your shifts," The older vampire snorted, waving a hand. "No one feels much like doing anything right now - something tells me we're gonna be working the bare minimum for a while." He leaned closer to his nephew and put a hand on his shoulder. "Look, I can see that you're just as upset by this incident as everyone else is; I mean, it's a very sad issue...take a little time off and go play with that little kid you're so fond of."

 _Hmm...I guess that's a good idea. Besides, maybe I can see Lucy and figure out what's going on._ No sooner had he thought it he felt guilty; the girl's mother had just...just...he couldn't even think about the word in his head. Lucy had lost a prospective sibling, she wasn't going to be interested in him or going out on dates!

"Alright," He agreed slowly. "I'll wait until she comes down for breakfast or something."

* * *

None of them wanted to go downstairs that evening - Lucy and Jack because they knew that everyone would be waiting, maybe even to ask a few questions, and they didn't want to deal with that. Mina simply didn't want to go because she wanted to see if their Mom and Dad were okay but wasn't able to; her sister and brother had decided to give their parents some space to let it all sink in, to let everything calm down.

"But they need to eat!" Mina argued, tugging uselessly against her older siblings' hands as they lead her towards the dining hall. "I mean, Mommy lost all that blood so she's gonna be weak! She needs something to eat!"

"They'll get something to eat," Jack assured her quickly, his grip tightening on her so that she didn't escape. "Just not now...You know Grandpa will look out for them, right? No need to worry."

She gave up and reluctantly stopped struggling. "Well, why couldn't we go and see them before breakfast?"

"We told you," Lucy sighed tiredly - like her younger brother and sister, she hadn't slept one bit that day. "Mommy and Daddy need to be left alone for a little while...we know that you don't get it, but we'll explain it to you later."

Truthfully, she'd been to see her mother and father earlier that evening, before Jack and Mina had woken up - and it had been the scariest thing she'd seen in her one-hundred and four years. Mavis had just been lying in bed, and while she wasn't crying her chest was heaving with dry sobs...Johnny had looked no better, like he hadn't slept the entire day, and when he had tried to smile at his daughter in greeting it had come out as a horribly twisted and false smile.

She shuddered at the memory and hurriedly pulled her siblings over to a nearby empty table. "Look, we can go in a few nights or something. Right now, the last thing they're going to want is to have to look after us."

Jack nodded in agreement glumly while Mina just looked somewhat confused. None of them said anything else, instead just glancing around the dining room to see how many people were in their company; just about everyone had finished eating and talking, so the room was empty except for a few old gremlins who were talking loudly amongst themselves.

"Uhmm...hey?"

All of them turned in their seats and saw, with somewhat surprise, that Freddie was smiling down at them half-heartedly. Mina sent him a small smile back. "Hey!"

"So, how are we doing?" He asked politely, just like he did every morning with the guests - seconds later, his smile disappeared when he realized what he'd said. "Oh my God, I didn't mean it like that! Of course you're not okay! I'm so stupid!"

"It's fine," Jack brushed off, shrugging to himself. "We've done better, but I suppose it could be worse."

The youngest child looked up at her friend eagerly. "Can you hang out today, Freddie? There's nothing to do around here... Grandpa's too busy, now that Mommy got hurt, and we've got no one to play with."

"A-Alright," He agreed, nodding a few times. "Sure. I've not got a lot of work today, so I suppose it should be okay. So...do you guys want anything to eat?"

Jack shrugged again, resting his head on the table. "I'm not hungry."

"Me neither," Lucy agreed miserably, avoiding the waiter's eyes and staring down at her lap.

Mina shot them confused glances but returned her attention back to Freddie. "Can I have some wormcakes? And can they have extra syrup on top?"

"Sure thing," Freddie told her, giving her another half-hearted smile - it was obvious he didn't feel much like smiling at that moment. "I'll be back in a minute with them."

As he walked away to head to the kitchen, Mina turned to her older siblings and frowned. "Why are you being weird? Why aren't you eating anything?"

"Eat your food and stop worrying about us," Jack muttered, not lifting his head.

She huffed and crossed her arms - she _really_ didn't understand teenagers sometimes.

* * *

There was a brief moment where Mavis woke up from a short nap that evening...she hadn't been able to keep her eyes open, and then the next minute she was opening her eyes and yawning as she woke up. For a moment, all she could sense was that her husband's body was pressed up against hers, and it was just like any other night. Johnny was frowning softly in his sleep, and she briefly wondered if he was having a bad dream or something.

But then she'd reached down to rub at her stomach, expecting to feel a small curve of some kind developing...and when there was nothing, the memories of everything came _flooding_ back violently.

That was when the tears started up again, and she could do no more than curl in on herself and sob brokenly into her pillow.

* * *

After Mina had eaten her wormcakes, she requested to go upstairs and visit Dracula. While neither of the older vampires were sure if he was in his room or in his office or anywhere for that matter, they agreed immediately - it would distract them, even if it was just searching for their Grandpa.

"You start looking without me," Lucy mumbled to her brother. "I'm going to help clean up a little."

Jack didn't protest, just grabbing his little sister's hand. "Come on, Mina. Let's check Grandpa's office first...maybe he's doing paperwork or something."

For a moment the red-haired vampire watched her younger siblings walk out of the room, and the gravity of the situation suddenly hit her full-force; _she_ had to look after them now, _she_ had to keep an eye on them for her parents until everything was better again. If anything happened to them, she'd be held responsible...and after everything with Mina in the past few days...

"Lucy? Are you okay?"

Lucy turned around and immediately locked eyes with Freddie; he was standing a few meters away, watching her with wide eyes sympathetically as she tried to figure out all of the thoughts in her head. And then, out of nowhere, she suddenly remembered him dancing with her before the incident, the feel of his arms holding her; it had made her feel something then, but she hadn't been able to put her finger on what it was.

And now she realized: he'd made her feel safe.

"Lucy?"

The sound of his voice jolted her out of her thoughts again, and that was it. Before she could even think about it, Lucy had practically ran across the distance between them and flung her arms around him. Freddie blanched slightly at the sudden contact but nonetheless wrapped his arms around her too.

For the first time since the tragic ordeal, Lucy let herself cry.


	12. Chapter 12

"Mavis? Come on, Mavy...all you have to do is eat this mouse."

She didn't move or respond to Johnny's voice, keeping her head buried in her drawn up knees; it was dark and comforting...she was safe like this...

"Mavy," She heard her Dad plead. "I know that you are very upset, but you _need_ to eat something... You need to keep your strength up."

_What's the point anymore?_

Mavis heard Johnny sigh. "It's not gonna work, Drac... But we can't let the kids see her like this! All...pale and tired...and hungry..." There was a sniffle and she realized that he was close to tears all of a sudden. "I can't do this, Drac. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing right now..."

"It's going to be okay, Johnny."

"But it won't!" She heard her husband tearfully deny. "I mean, just look at Mavis - she looks _dead_ and I...I can't lose her, Drac, I-I've already lost tons of people in my family...and then there's the kids...what am I meant to tell them?"

This time it was Dracula that sighed. "I don't know. But do not worry about it; I'll look after them, just until you two are feeling better again. You know that I'll protect them with my life, Johnny."

There were a few moments of silence and Mavis didn't know what was going on - it was kind of comforting, just seeing darkness when she opened her eyes to the quiet.

Eventually it came to an end, and she heard her father walk across the room. "I should probably get back to work. I'll be back in an hour or so to see if...if she feels any better."

There was no point in asking Johnny to stay with her - it was obvious that he would.

After she heard the door shut, she felt Johnny's body move closer to her and she tensed up slightly in instinct. "Mavis? Please talk to me."

What was there to say? She honestly couldn't think of anything that would have seemed sufficient enough to explain all of the feelings that were running through her, not even when talking to the love of her life.

"Don't shut me out, Mavy," Johnny tried, voice threatening to crack from exhaustion and the many hours of trying not to cry. "I can't...I can't do this on my own. I need you, a-and you need me...please, just talk to me or something."

Slowly, Mavis lifted her head to look at him; he didn't look much better than she probably did, judging by the bags under his eyes and glazed over eyes that were so obviously holding back tears.

He blinked at her, as if astounded that he'd gotten her to respond. "Mavy?"

She didn't say anything - her voice felt weak and unstable - but she leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Johnny squeezed her back, starting to sniffle slightly. He didn't cry, choosing to hold it in, but it was obvious that he wanted to. Mavis couldn't hold it in, however, and started to cry again as they held each other.

_Why?!_

* * *

It was morning by the time Mina agreed to go to bed, the Sun already rising and casting light on the unusually quiet castle. Getting her into her pyjamas had been one thing - getting her to climb into her coffin and go to sleep was another entirely.

"I want a bedtime story," Mina stated defiantly, folding her arms and pouting.

"I know," Lucy told her, getting kind of annoyed now. "And I already said that Jack would read you something."

The youngest vampire let out a groan. "I don't want Jack to read it - I want Daddy!"

Lucy and Jack looked at each other, not sure what to do. "Mina," Jack said softly, looking down at his sister with wide eyes. "We already told you that Dad can't...he and Mommy need to be alone for a little while." He paused, something clicking in his brain. "Hold on...do you know _why_ they need to be left alone?"

Mina didn't say anything, instead just shaking her head.

"Jack," Lucy muttered warningly. "Remember. She's _thirty-one_."

Jack nodded quickly. "Yeah, I know. Okay, Mina: how about I tell you a story - I'll tell you what's happened to Mom and Dad."

Mina nodded, suddenly eager to clamber into her bed with her Martha-bat. Lucy moved closer to her brother, frowning at him. "What are you going to tell her? She's not going to understand..."

"I have something in mind," He assured her quietly before moving to sit on his little sister's bed. "Okay, let's see..." Jack looked down at his sister and gave her a small smile; telling stories was something that not only brought him joy but was also a comfort during this time, and he just hoped that telling his sister a story would bring her some comfort too. "I'm going to tell you a story; it's kind of sad but happy. You ready?"

Mina grinned up at him. "Yup!"

"You know how much our Mom and Dad love each other?" Jack asked, voice smooth as he spoke the words. "Well, when two adults love each other, they have children to share that love with. That's why you, me and Lucy are here." When he referred to Mina, he tweaked her nose affectionately, causing her to giggle. "Now, just because there's more than one of us, it doesn't mean that they love one of us more than the other - in fact, they love us more and more with each day that goes by."

"I love them too," Mina agreed. "And I love you and Lu...and I'm gonna love my new brother or sister too!"

Jack's smile started to slip. "I know. Well, when a woman is pregnant, she has to wait a long time - about nine months - to meet the baby. It's a long time, right?" His little sister nodded. "We were going to wait all that time to meet our new brother or sister...but now we don't have to."

Her eyes widened. "They're here already?!"

"No...no," Jack sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "The thing is that...is that they're not in Mom's stomach anymore. They went up to Heaven." He pointed upwards. "See? They went up there instead."

"Why?" Mina asked, frowning to herself. "Why are they in Heaven? Will we get to meet them?"

"They went to be with Grandma Martha," The middle child said softly, feeling his eyes sting slightly with small unshed tears. From across the room Lucy had started to wipe at her eyes, refusing to be seen crying in front of her younger siblings. "And now they're safe because Grandma is looking after them for us."

Mina looked down at her bat for a moment before looking back up at him again. "Why couldn't they have stayed down here with us? Even if it was only for a few days?"

"I don't know," Jack admitted, and for once he really _didn't_ know. "But we'll see them one day, when we go to Heaven. And then we can fly around the clouds together, the four of us, and play bat-tag."

"And I'll win," Mina interjected confidently.

Jack gave a laugh. "Yeah, I'll _let_ you win. Anyway, you need to get some sleep."

She let out a groan but nodded, grudgingly lying down and letting her older siblings tuck her under the covers of the bed. While Mina now understood why exactly her parents and family were suddenly so saddened - starting to feel this way herself now - she didn't quite understand why the new baby had to leave them so soon.

To be fair, no one did.

* * *

No matter how much she tossed and turned, Lucy found that she couldn't sleep that day; all she could think about was how long this situation would go on for...having to look after her siblings, having to make sure that they were well-looked after...

She took it very seriously and she always had; when she was seventy three, Mina had been born. The first thing Johnny had done was sat her down and spoken to her about her duties as the eldest - he'd even asked her, if necessary, to take care of her younger brother and sister if anything _did_ happen. At the time it had seemed impossible, and she'd thought that her father was high on something (looking back on it, it was probably the feeling of having another healthy child being born that had caused him to be so euphoric) - but now she understood what he had meant.

Lucy gave a sigh and rolled over onto her side for the fiftieth time that day. She wanted to keep her brother and sister safe, she really did - after all, even though they fought and bantered often, she still loved them - but she realized now that it was not an easy task in the slightest.

 _Ah, screw it._ Lucy threw the duvet off of herself and sat up in her coffin. She never slept with the lid on, since she had always feared that she'd suffocate in her sleep with it on, so she was immediately able to lift herself out of her bed and pull her sneakers on - maybe a walk around the castle would settle her thoughts enough to allow her to rest.

The hotel had always been one of her favourite places to be; although she and her family had a home to live in, the hotel was definitely an extremely close second. There was just something about it, something that always made it seem warm and safe to whoever stepped through the revolving doors. For as long as she could remember, this hotel had been her playground; being the owner's granddaughter, she had pretty much had access to anywhere she wanted, even Dracula's office.

Walking down the corridor, Lucy could practically hear the memories of her and her siblings running around as they played, laughing childishly... It made her feel odd, remembering these things so fondly. Those times - when she had been no older than Mina - had been simpler and easier, and she suddenly wished that for a moment - just one moment - she could go back to being that young and innocent.

_Ironic, considering how much I wanted to grow up._

Being grown up wasn't as great as she had thought it was going to be: she had spent all this time trying to grow up...trying to find her zing, trying to show that she was an adult...and now she wished she could be little again.

Her walk took her downstairs to the lobby - and she quickly discovered that she wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep that day.

At first she had thought it was Freddie sitting in one of the armchairs, but it was only when she got closer that she realized this person's hair wasn't nearly as curly, that his frame wasn't as tall or lanky. As Lucy got closer, she realized who was sitting in the lobby - and that they'd been waiting for her.

"Damien?!"

The other vampire smiled at her charismatically. "Hey, babe."

"What are you doing down here?" Lucy asked, stopping a few meters away from where he was sat. "It's got to be hours until sunset."

"I knew you'd come down here," He said smoothly, giving her a grin. "Besides, it's been too long since we last hanged out. I've been missing you being close."

 _Oh God. It's those eyes._ "I..uhm...You said-"

"Who cares what I said at the pool?" Damien asked, standing up and taking a few steps closer towards her. "I was mad to say that; all I've been able to think about is you and how gorgeous you are."

Lucy wanted to remind herself that he was an asshole, but it was difficult when he was practically purring in her ear.

"Haven't you been missing me too?" He asked lowly, lifting a hand to tuck a lock of her messy red hair behind her ear. "Haven't you missed the feel of us being together, just knowing that there's something between us?"

She didn't say anything, eyes wide as she watched him lean closer and closer...he was about to kiss her, she realized...

"No," She gasped, pulling away before his lips could touch hers. Damien frowned, clearly not expecting this to happen. "Look, I'm really sorry but I can't...at least...not with you...I mean, you're so good-looking, don't get me wrong! But I just...I..."

He raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? I'm not stupid, you know." Lucy was confused by this, and it must have been evident on her face because Damien gave a loud sigh of annoyance. "I've seen you and that stupid waiter hanging out - do you honestly think that he's special?"

"Freddie is a nice guy," Lucy said slowly. "And I like him. But we're just friends, nothing more."

Damien snorted. "Yeah, well...the way he's been going around, he clearly thinks that you're his girlfriend or something. See, I told you he was an idiot."

Lucy badly wanted to snap at him: to tell him in a rather pointed way that Freddie was not an idiot, that he was rather sweet and friendly...but she just couldn't find the heart to do that, to start an argument.

"Look, if you want someone to show you a real good time," The other vampire continued, leaning in close again and grabbing one of her hands in his. "Then hang out with me tonight. We can go hunting or something - I heard that there's a ton of scorpions nests around here."

 _Say no._ "Fine," Lucy gave in, feeling quite defeated. "Fine. Tonight."

* * *

_...Oh, and God! Her eyes! They're so...so pretty and blue and...man, it makes me feel like I'm drowning in an ocean when I look into them._

Freddie grinned even more up at the ceiling, body alive and awake all of a sudden. He couldn't help it - all he could think about was Lucy and how _amazing_ he found her. She was gorgeous and she had what he considered to be the most expressive eyes he'd ever seen on a girl; but it wasn't just that - her personality was just so...so endearing! She knew lots of things that he didn't, and she wanted more.

_Ah, screw it. I'm going for a walk._

He didn't even bother to put on proper clothing: shoving on his sneakers and a jumper, Freddie quietly left the room he and his Uncle had been given in the hotel and set off down the corridor. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long until night fell again and he'd get a chance to see Lucy.

Freddie had decided on it before he'd even turned a corner: he was going to ask her out on a date. Now he just had to figure out how to do it.

_Let's see...how about...hmm...what am I meant to say? Should I just say something like... "Look, I think I'm in love with you"?...No. That's too strong, I guess, just for asking her on a date...actually, maybe that would better my chances. Girls like that love stuff, right?_

Before he could dwell further on it, he heard voices from the lobby - he immediately recognised one of them to be the girl who was occupying his mind and smiled nervously to himself. _Well. Here goes nothing_.

Freddie quickly tied to smooth down his unruly curls, messed up thanks to the small amount of sleep he had managed to get, and took a deep breath as he prepared to enter the lobby.

" _Are you kidding me? I'm not stupid, you know_."

Freddie stopped in his tracks, pausing when he heard this voice; it sounded masculine, definitely a guy, and rather annoyed. Why was this guy annoyed? Was it with Lucy?

" _I've seen you and that stupid waiter hanging out - do you honestly think that he's special_?"

_Well, joke's on him, because-_

"Freddie is a nice guy," He heard Lucy say slowly, immediately recognising her voice. "And I like him. But we're just friends, nothing more."

Friends. The smile on the young man's face disappeared.

The male in the lobby snorted. " _Yeah, well...the way he's been going around, he clearly thinks that you're his girlfriend or something. See, I told you he was an idiot_."

They'd been talking about him? Freddie frowned, suddenly feeling rather hurt by this piece of information: but surely Lucy didn't agree with this opinion, right?

" _Look, if you want someone to show you a real good time_ ," The other vampire continued, leaning in close again and grabbing one of her hands in his. " _Then hang out with me tonight. We can go hunting or something - I heard that there's a ton of scorpions nests around here_."

_Say no, Lucy. Please._

"Fine," Lucy agreed. "Fine. Tonight."

Freddie couldn't hear anymore; he felt his heart break in two and tears sting his eyes. _How could I be such a freakin' idiot?!_ The red-haired man turned around, slumped over with his hands shoved in the pockets of his jumper, and started to walk back down the corridor to go back to his room.

* * *

Mavis woke up for the umpteenth time that day, unable to sleep yet again. Whenever she did sleep, all she could think about was what had happened...going to the bathroom with a stomach ache and suddenly seeing it...all that blood...

She heard a low groan from next to her and trained her eyes on her husband; he was jerking in his sleep, letting out pitiful little whines and sniffles. "No...No...stop..."

_What on Earth?_

"Stop it..." Johnny whimpered, eyes squeezed tightly together. "Please stop...no one else...please..."

"Johnny?" Mavis whispered hoarsely - her voice was tired from the sobbing and crying that she had done over the past few days. "Are you o-"

He let out a yell. "NO! NOT THEM! Please! Anyone...anyone but..."

 _He must be having a bad dream,_ Mavis thought sadly, and she couldn't really blame him. She'd been having bad dreams too, about what had happened - only in the dreams, it had been a lot more graphic, a lot more explicit. In the dreams, she could feel it...she could feel the baby as they...and when she looked down in her dreams and saw the blood, there would be a tiny figure with defined features...

She rolled onto her side and settled for crying into her pillow.

* * *

" _No...no! Stop!_ "

No matter how much he yelled, it happened: slowly, the figures gathered around him started to fall to the ground lifelessly. They died before his very eyes, one after the other.

"Stop it!" Johnny shouted, looking around for the cause of this. "Please stop!"

A dark figure loomed overhead, grinning in a twisted way, and effortlessly pointed to each of the people to cause them to die of a certain cause. Johnny could only watch in horror as he watched the people he loved fall...his parents, his brothers and their families all dying of old age... He felt utterly sick as he saw his friends from the hotel start to fall too, torches and pitchforks sticking out of them, and a small ghost appeared surrounded by a puddle of blood - a prospective child gone too soon...

Soon the only people left were Mavis and the kids.

"No one else!" He cried desperately. "Please, no one else, for God's sake!"

The dark figure just smiled and looked down at his family as he decided who would be the first. _Why not all of them at once?_

"NO! NOT THEM!" Johnny screamed, waving his arms at the figure. "PLEASE! Anyone but them!"

 _Whoosh_.

His family fell dead before his very eyes...Lucy and Jack were motionless, eyes expressionless as they gazed up at him with blood running down their temples...Mina had burns all over her, scarring her so badly that he couldn't even see the freckles on her face...

But seeing Mavis killed him; she had a broken neck, body lifeless and pale and cold...

"NO!"

* * *

Johnny jolted up in bed, breathing heavily with tears running down his face. He tried to breathe properly to calm himself down, extremely relieved to see that he was in bed and not in some dark nightmarish room watching his loved ones die.

He quickly looked to his side and was relieved to see Mavis sleeping peacefully - when she actually could sleep, all of the problems seemed to go away for a while: she wasn't crying or sobbing, but rather sleeping fitfully.

Johnny ran a hand down his face, the images of his dream imprinted in his brain. _I need...I need to see..._

Making sure to be quiet, he carefully slipped out of bed and made his way over to the door; he opened it, relieved that the shrunken head didn't wake up and start screeching at him, and set off down the corridor.

The first room he got to was his son's: opening it, he peered inside and saw Jack sleeping on top of the covers, a torch in one hand and a book in the other. Johnny entered the room and slowly took both of the objects from his son's hands; after he'd put them on the nightstand, he grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed and draped it over the younger vampire. _At least he won't freeze._ Jack snuffled a little in his sleep but didn't wake up; Johnny almost smiled, remembering his mother saying that he himself had been a heavy sleeper, and ruffled his son's hair affectionately.

He visited Lucy next. His eldest daughter was sleeping, a small frown on her face as she contemplated something in her sleep, red hair spread out against the white pillow. Johnny watched her for a few moments, trying to convince himself that she too was okay, and pushed back some of the hair that was in her face. He could remember how on the day she'd been born (literally the day, which was unusual for a vampire) he'd been nervous - what new father wouldn't have been? But then he'd seen her and it had all clicked into place, like a puzzle piece - they fit each other, father and daughter. He pressed a kiss against her forehead before moving on again.

Mina was last, and she was hidden beneath the covers - so much so that he had to pull them back a little just to see her. Mina wasn't burnt anymore, much to his relief, and was hugging her Martha-bat to her chest as she slept quietly. _Oh, man..._ Seeing his youngest, Johnny suddenly felt rather emotional; she was the baby of the family, and he treated her as such...the thought of anyone hurting someone as tiny and innocent as her made him feel sick and angry. "Nothing's gonna hurt you," He murmured to her, despite the fact she was asleep. The red-head put a hand on her cheek and stroked it with his thumb...she was still so young, so she still had a little bit of childish chub to her cheeks.

He couldn't change what had happened to the baby - but he could protect the family he did have.


	13. Chapter 13

Breakfast the next night seemed to be duller and more grey than before; none of them had slept very well, waking up at regular intervals thoughtout the day and blinking blearily at the ceiling above them.

Mina rubbed at her eyes. "Can we go back to bed?" She asked, gesturing to Martha-bat and herself.

"Hmm...eat something first," Jack muttered before turning to his older sister. "Hey, did you visit during the day or something?" Lucy shook her head. "It's just that I fell asleep reading and then when I woke up later on someone had put a blanket over me."

"Maybe it was Grandma's ghost," Mina wondered aloud. "Do you think she and the baby visited while we were sleeping?"

Neither of her older siblings had the heart to disagree with this theory and just nodded tiredly.

"Where's that waiter this morning?" Jack questioned, looking around the dining hall and frowning. "He usually makes sure he comes over to say hello or something..."

"You know, we're not the only guests here," Lucy muttered, eyes fixed on the table. "Stop being so impatient."

Jack and Mina both frowned, neither of them sure why their sister's mood had suddenly dipped so low - well, lower than it had been recently. "We're not being impatient," Mina disagreed. "We're just wondering why he's not come over to say hello yet."

"Because he's actually doing his job," Lucy shot back irritably, leaning her head on her hand and rubbing at her temple. "Look, just relax and wait. He'll be over in a minute."

"Uhmm...Mina, why don't you go and get some knives and forks?" Mina shrugged, slipping out of her seat and trailing over to the buffet table. Jack leaned in closer to the red-head and frowned. "Lu, what's up with you? You've been all moody and stuff since you woke up..."

"I would be," Lucy gritted out. "Unless you've forgotten what's just happened to our parents."

"I haven't actually," Jack said icily. "But, unlike you, I'm not trying to use it as an excuse to sit around and look depressed." He sighed, slumping in his seat tiredly. "Anyway, I can read you like a book; it's another boy problem, right?"

Her mouth fell open. "How-"

"Like I said; you're like a book. Your facial expression gives away everything, Lu." Jack sat back and sent her a look. "Are you going to tell me what's up or do I have to sit here and guess?"

The older vampire fidgeted in her seat guiltily. "I...I couldn't sleep last night, so I kinda took a walk..."

"And?"

"And...and I kinda ended up running into Damien," She admitted, and her brother's eyes widened in surprise. "I-I really wanted to tell him to get lost, but...you should have seen it, Jack! He's just so good with words...and he's got this way of looking at people that just makes you want to do whatever he says!"

Her brother stared at her, as if she was mad. "Please tell me you didn't...you know...sleep with him or anything..."

"No! Oh God no!" She blurted quickly. "But I kind of agreed to go out with him tonight. What do I do?"

Jack bit his lip softly. "Honestly? Try sorting out your thoughts and feelings first - I mean, not two nights ago you told me that you were sure you were in love with Freddie the waiter-guy, and now you're talking about going out with someone else."

"You make it sound like a bad thing."

"Besides, this guy kinda sounds like an ass," Jack continued, voice low as he looked around to see if their younger sister was coming back anytime soon. "Remember what you said he and his friends did to you the other night by the pool? That doesn't sound all too promising to me."

"Since when did you become so interested in my personal life?" Lucy asked defensively, folding her arms. "Seriously, I'm old enough to make my own decisions - in fact, I'm older than you so why are you giving me advice?"

Her brother lifted his hands up. "I'm not, I'm just worried! I mean, what if he does something to you while you're out?"

"That's a rather cynical way to look at it," She sniffed. "And I highly doubt that he will - he was probably being an idiot before to show off to his friends. It's what boys do. Look, why can't you just leave it?"

"Because I care about you," Jack stated quietly, as if he were kind of embarrassed to admit it. "You're my sister, Lu, and...and this family's already going through a difficult time as it is, let alone if this guy does so-"

"Mind your own business," She snapped. "Nothing will happen."

He could only watch as Lucy stood up and stormed away, at a loss for words for once in his life.

* * *

"Okay, so..." Johnny sat down and gave her a small grin in the hopes it would cheer his wife up. It felt fake - it probably looked fake too - but he had to do it, so that his love would get better. "I got your favourites from the kitchen - wormcakes!"

"I'm not hungry," Mavis muttered, voice muffled by her pillow.

Johnny frowned slightly. "You said that last night. You haven't eaten since...well, you haven't eaten in like three nights. You've gotta be hungry, so...eat them."

"I don't want to eat them."

"Well, it would make me feel a lot better if you did," The red-head tried fruitlessly. "I mean... _please_ just eat them. It'll stop me worrying and stuff."

Mavis sighed and sat up, not looking at him. "You can't make me eat, so stop trying. I'm f-"

"But you're not," Johnny disagreed. "Look, I get that you're...yeah. I mean, I am too...but seeing you like this, it's killing me, Mavy."

"I'm fine," His wife gritted out testily. "I'd like to be left alone without you shoving food in my face every five seconds."

She laid back down, turning so that she was facing away from him. Johnny watched her with wide eyes, his chest starting to heave; suddenly, before he could register what he was doing, he flung the plate in his hands across the room.

The smash of the dish caused Mavis to roll over and look at him. "What-"

"I'm going out of my damn mind!" Johnny ranted, standing up and starting to pace. "I mean, I'm meant to be trying to _help_ you but you won't even eat! What the Hell am I meant to do, Mavis? Force-feed you? Stick a tube up your nose?"

"Stop trying to feed me then," Mavis snapped. "I don't want to eat right now."

Her husband growled and tugged at his hair with his hands desperately. "God, Mavy...I can't deal with this..."

" _You_ can't deal with this?" Mavis repeated, outraged. " _You?!_ I'm so sorry, Johnny, I didn't realize that you were carrying life - a baby - inside of you a-a-and then felt i-it die!" She wiped her tears away, glaring at her husband icily. "You don't know what it's like!"

"It was my baby too!" Johnny shouted. "OUR kid died. And yet, I don't get to grieve - I don't get to sit around in bed and have everyone run around to look after me. Instead, I have to sit here and try to comfort _you_."

The two stared at each other for a moment, both of them with tear tracks running down their faces and their chests heaving.

Finally, Johnny gave a sigh and turned away. "I don't know what to do anymore..." Mavis just watched him with wide eyes, surprised by his outbursts. "I-I'm _scared_ , Mavis...I'm s-s-scared that something's gonna happen to the kids, that D-Drac's gonna lose the hotel...a-a-and I'm scared for us."

"What do you mean?"

"What if we never get over this?" The red-head asked, sitting on the bed and tucking his legs beneath him. "What if...if we never forget t-this? What if we c-can't even talk to each other about it, 'cause of the bad memories?"

Mavis bit her lip. "I don't know."

"I wanna go back to the good old days," He admitted quietly, slumping and suddenly looking a lot weaker. "Back when nothing got between us, you know? Back when...when we could just talk...when we weren't s-s-so..."

Before he could continue this thought process Mavis had flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him tightly. He heard her start to cry, and that was it - his eyes started to water too, and he buried his face into his wife's shoulder as he sobbed.

* * *

The night air was somewhat cold that night - cold enough that Lucy shivered as she followed after Damien's bat form with the wind blowing through her fur. _Glad my other form has a coat on, because otherwise it would be torture morphing back._

"How much further are we going?" She called up to the other bat, looking over her shoulder and squinting slightly. "If we keep going, we won't be able to see the hotel..."

"Getting scared, are we?" Damien joked, laughing. Lucy looked back at him, shaking her head slowly. "Ah, come on - live on the wild side, babe."

_I really don't like him calling me that._

Lucy looked down at the forest below them nervously. "Honestly, I've hunted loads of times...the best ones are just down there."

He gave an annoyed sigh. "Geesh, stop being such a scaredy-cat. I thought you wanted me to show you a good time?" Nonetheless he swooped down to where she had indicated, disappearing as he flew through the leaves in some trees.

The red bat quickly followed after - and then she let out a long, loud hiss because she flew straight into a branch. Lucy had no choice but to stop flying as her right wing throbbed, probably bruised...she started to fall through the trees and then to the ground.

Her tiny form hit the ground - and then she heard a _snap!_ noise as she landed on her right wing awkwardly, bending it out of place.

"Jeez...crap...ah..." Lucy gasped, opening her eyes. Damien had morphed and was staring down at her amusedly. "Ow?"

Damien gave a chuckle. "Come on. Morph back and we'll see how long that wing takes to heal; then we can do the really fun stuff."

 _Something tells me he's not talking about hunting_ _anymore_ , Lucy thought.

Luckily, being a vampire and rather young, she healed rather quickly - admittedly, it was a little painful when the bones in her arm clicked back into place but besides that it was a piece of cake.

When she had finally recovered, she stood up and watched Damien as he frowned and looked around. "I thought you said scorpions built their nests around here...I can't smell scorpions or anything..."

"They do," Lucy said slowly, nodding. "But I think it's maybe the wrong time of year for them to be out."

Damien turned back to her. "Right."

"Sorry that we flew all the way out here for nothing," She apologized quietly, even though she hadn't minded it one bit - flying had taken her mind off of things for a while. "I guess there's always a next time..."

Suddenly he was close to her, body pressed against hers and eyes gazing down at her intensely. "But you and I both know that's not why I wanted you out here, right?" Lucy said nothing, utterly speechless. Damien gave a small chuckle and reached a hand up to stroke her cheek. "You have something over me, you know. Maybe it's your hair being so bright...or the way that your body is just... _wow_."

With that, he leaned in and pressed his lips against her - and Lucy immediately realized something.

There wasn't absolutely nothing in this kiss - no jolt, no fireworks. Nothing. Sure, it was her first kiss and he wasn't too bad a kisser from what she could tell...but she could immediately tell that there was something not quite right about it...that he wasn't the one who should have been doing this.

She knew who should have.

Lucy pulled away and sent him an apologetic look. "I'm really sorry," She mumbled. "I really am. You're really good-looking and everything but I just...I just don't feel it."

Surprisingly, Damien gave a low chuckle. "But that was only a kiss, babe; you need to experience the whole package to feel something."

He re-connected their lips, ignoring her attempts to push him away from her, and put his hands on her back so that she couldn't escape. Lucy gave a small noise of displeasure and shoved at him as hard as she could - unfortunately, she wasn't quite as strong as him and all it did was give her air to talk.

"I don't want the 'whole package'," She muttered. "Look, can we go back to the hotel please? I should be looking after my brother and sister-"

Damien cut her off by pushing her up against a nearby tree; he pinned her against it with his body, hand grabbing at her wrists and holding them above her head so that he could do whatever he wanted. "You're such a tease," He growled. "Seriously? Getting me all hot and bothered like this, and then not even giving me something in return? You're such a bitch."

Lucy could do nothing but let out muffled cries as his mouth reattached itself to hers, one hand moving to remove her clothing.

* * *

Freddie really, really hated life right now. Usually he was so optimistic, but he found that that quality had flown straight out the window that night - and he knew exactly who had caused it to. The sad thing was that he couldn't even bring it upon himself to hate the red-haired vampire girl - he _loved_ her, for crying out loud!

And besides, that night he was on garbage duty.

 _Man, what the Hell do people put in their waste bins?_ He wrinkled his nose as he dragged the bag of rotting garbage outside into the forest: he had no idea what the heck happened to it after he left it outside, simply being told that someone would turn up to dispose of it later.

Freddie dragged the bag and left it leaning against a tree. Job done, he took a moment to take a deep breath and stretch his limbs out; after the lobby incident that day, he hadn't been able to get anymore sleep. It wasn't like he hadn't tried - he had tried desperately hard - but something had made his chest hurt deep down...someone had put a weight on him that he may never be able to shake off.

The red-head sighed. _Nothing I can do about it, I guess..._ He turned around, about to head back inside to the hotel where it was warm when his acute sense of hearing picked up something.

Something sounding like a cry.

Freddie paused and turned back around, frowning to himself as he looked out over the forest. _Maybe it's an animal of some kind..._ He heard the cry again, this time more desperate, and felt his heart constrict in his chest when he recognised the voice.

_Lucy._

* * *

"Just stay still!"

This felt wrong...so desperately wrong...

"If you relax you'll enjoy it, babe. Trust me."

This wasn't how it was supposed to be; this was meant to be special, between her and a special person that _she_ chose at a time that _she_ felt comfortable doing this kind of thing with.

Not in a dark forest with a boy she was growing to dislike more and more with each passing second, not when she was nowhere near ready for this.

"Please," Lucy whispered desperately. "Please. Let me go and I...I won't tell anyone. D-Don't..."

A hand covered her mouth. "Shut up! Jeesh, for a hot vampire you're rather stupid."

Another hand started to pull at her jeans - and she let out the biggest scream that she could. It came out muffled, thanks to the hand on her mouth, but she still hoped that it would be loud enough to attract someone's attention.

The hand on her jeans disappeared, instead striking her across the face. "Shut up!" Damien growled. "How many times do I have to-"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

They both looked up and Lucy was flooded with relief when she saw Freddie standing there, watching with a horrified expression on his face. Damien just glared at the older vampire. "Look, dude, can't you see I'm kinda busy here? So why don't you just get lost?"

Freddie's eyes flickered to look at Lucy, who sent him a pleading look. _Please...I don't want this...please stop him_.

"I'm not leaving unless she comes with me," Freddie stated firmly, eyes glaring at Damien. "So get away from her or-"

"Or what?" Damien questioned mockingly. "You'll refuse to wait on me during dinner?"

Something - a flame, perhaps - flickered in his eyes. And that was it.

Before Damien could so much as blink, Freddie had strode across the distance between them and shoved the teenaged vampire away from Lucy, causing him to fall through to the floor. "If you so much as _look_ at her again," He snarled aggressively, glaring down at the other male. "Then I'll make sure that it's the last thing you ever do!"

Damien stood up, baring his fangs at the red-head. "Yeah, like _you_ could take me on!"

Freddie shoved him backwards again, eyes suddenly glowing bright red. "You go near her again, and I will _kill_ you! Do you understand?!"

"And why do you care so much about her?" The younger vampire questioned, smiling maliciously. "As if I don't already know..."

The red-head's eyes widened.

"You have feelings for her!" Damien laughed, snorting to himself. "How sweet...the poor waiter falling for the hot little vampire chick...as if it would actually happen."

Freddie stood there in shock, embarrassed that his secret had been revealed - but then he narrowed his eyes again and took a threatening step closer to the other vampire. "I mean it," He growled lowly. "I don't _ever_ want to see you near her - or any girls, for that matter - again. Do it, and you'll regret it." He turned away, sending Damien a withering look. When his eyes fell on Lucy, however, his expression and voice softened. "Come on. Let's get back to the hotel."


	14. Chapter 14

Neither of them could think of anything to say as they walked through the trees and back to the hotel; for Freddie, he was so mortified that someone had figured out about his crush that he decided it would be better that he didn't say anything. As for Lucy - she was so stunned by everything that had happened that evening that she couldn't even find the words to express how she was feeling.

Eventually the two reached the revolving doors of the hotel and stopped outside, looking at each other for a few moments with nervous expressions.

"I...erm..."

"Thanks," Lucy said quietly, giving him a small smile.

Freddie gave her a small shy smile back. "Heh...you're welcome. Are you gonna be okay? I mean...that guy looked pretty...close to... and stuff..."

"I'll survive," She decided, wrapping her arms around herself; she felt kind of dirty and used - she couldn't wait to get inside the hotel and have a nice hot bath to wash these feelings away. "Seriously though - thanks for what you did tonight."

Lucy leaned forwards and wrapped her arms around him tightly, hugging him in gratitude. For a moment Freddie allowed himself to relax in her embrace, feeling quite content and warm inside-

"You're a really great friend."

And it all came shattering down like glass.

"I've got to go," He muttered quickly, pushing her away from him and heading inside. Lucy watched him with wide eyes, confused as to what had caused the sudden shift in mood.

Freddie, meanwhile, had made his decision about what to do - it would be better for everyone, he decided.

And yet, there were tears in his eyes.

* * *

Truth be told? Dracula had trouble sleeping too - and at his age, it was not a good thing to be tossing and turning all day. All he could think about was his daughter and what had happened...the prospect of the hotel being shut down suddenly seemed unimportant now, what with the...

The tragedy, as Dracula called it.

He gave a tired groan and rolled over in his coffin; no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't seem to sleep. Ironic, considering how exhausted he felt. All that the vampire could see was his daughter's face as she cried when he'd found her that night after the party... what he had seen that night was something that no father - or rather grandfather - should have had to see.

There was a knock on his bedroom door. _Well, I'm not going to sleep anyway._ Yawning to himself, Dracula climbed out of his coffin-bed and walked over to open the door and half-heartedly tried to smooth his dark hair back; he didn't need to be able to see himself in a mirror to know that he probably looked like Hell lately.

When he pulled open the door, it took him a long moment to realize that the person wanting to see him was rather short - in fact, it was a child... Mina, to be exact, with her beloved bat toy in hand.

"Oh," He said softly, putting on a fake smile as he looked down at her. "Mina, honey! What are you doing up? I mean, the Sun is-"

"Can I sleep in here?" Mina whimpered rushing forwards and wrapping herself around his skinny legs with her Martha-bat clutched in one hand still. "I can't sleep, Grandpa. I'm having bad dreams."

Dracula put two hands on her back soothingly. "Bad dreams? Come on, come and tell me about it."

It was awkward, trying to retreat back into his room with a small child hanging off of him but he somehow managed to shut the door behind him and stagger over to his coffin. It was only then that Mina let go of his legs and allowed him to pick her up and cradle her against his chest as he sat down on the bed.

"So, you've been having bad dreams?"

She nodded, brown eyes wide with fear. "About Mommy...a-a-and all t-the b-blood."

 _She was in there_. "Well, Mommy is going to be fine," He tried to assure her weakly, although he knew that this wasn't the case. "She is just very...you know...emotional at the minute because...because..."

"Because the baby died," Mina finished, much to his shock. "Jack told me."

Dracula frowned; he had thought his grandson smarter than that. "I see."

Mina bit her lip thoughtfully. "I don't get why they had to leave, Grandpa..."

"No," He agreed tiredly. "Neither do I."

"...But I guess Grandma Martha will look after them in Heaven, right?"

 _Oh. That's what he told her. I knew he was smart._ "Exactly," Dracula sighed.

Mina gazed at him for a moment, analysing his facial expression and slumped posture. "Are you not sleeping much too?"

"No. I am not really."

The child just looked at him. "How about I help? I could tell you a story? Jack told me that everything's better with a story."

"Mina, I do not think-"

"It might help!" She interrupted fiercely, and Dracula was reminded for a moment of his wife; Martha had always been firm on what she believed was right and refused to back down too. "Just give it a try, Grandpa."

Dracula was so speechless that he just nodded and laid them both down in the coffin; Mina lay next to him, head resting on one of her hands so she could look at him, and waited patiently for him to be comfortable. "Okay then. Tell me a story."

Mina cleared her throat so that she could start. "Okay...so...I was thinking earlier," She started nervously - after all, story-telling was more or less Jack's thing, not hers. "I was thinking about the baby a-and how we didn't get to meet them...so Jack helped me come up with a story to talk about that." She took a deep breath, hoping that her Grandpa would like it. "I waited a little to meet my new baby brother or sister, and I was really excited. But one night, my baby brother or sister went to Heaven..."

Dracula could only stare with wide eyes.

"I'm glad that they went to Heaven," She continued softly, toying with one of Martha-bat's wings. "BUT I would like to have met them first... So?"

"It was..." He swallowed thickly. "It's a very beautiful story, Mina."

She sent him a grateful smile, clearly pleased, and cuddled closer to him with one of her tiny fists grabbing his pyjama shirt tightly and the other clinging to her toy.

 _Yes,_ he thought silently, putting a hand on her back as he thought about what he'd experienced. _Martha, she is like you._

* * *

After years of being married, Mavis could easily read Johnny's emotions just by looking at his face; Johnny was an open book, welcoming people to come near him and share his thoughts, his feelings.

This time, however, she didn't need to look at his face to know what he was probably feeling. Sad. Angry. Guilty perhaps...

But the one she feared the most was disappointment - that _she_ had disappointed him.

It was strange; neither of them were particularly jealous or insecure types (well...there had been a few incidents but that was in the past) and yet Mavis couldn't help but feel like this was all _her_ fault: _she_ was to blame for what happened.

And she honestly didn't want to see that he was disappointed with her - it hurt too much.

"Mavis? Please look at me?"

She didn't - Johnny knew how to read her thoughts and emotions too well...he'd know what was wrong, and she didn't want that.

Johnny just sighed. "Mavy, come on...every time we open up to each other you just...I dunno...close up again after." He took her hand in his, skin somewhat rough and palm large. "Please? I...I know that you're...that we're both...but I can't do this alone. Just say something."

Nothing. The red-head sighed, giving up entirely on his try.

"I'm sorry."

His head snapped up and he stared at her. "What?"

Mavis gave a small sniffle and turned away from him. "I'm sorry."

Johnny's eyes widened in surprise at this. "Sorry?" He repeated dumbly. "What for?"

"Why do you think?" Mavis muttered lowly, so quiet that he had to move closer to hear her properly. "This is all my fault, you know. If I had only done something w-when I felt the pains...I-If I had _tried_ t-t-to save them..." She broke off, burying her head in her knees and wrapping her arms around herself.

Immediately another pair of arms - longer and more comforting ones - were around her, holding her tightly. "This isn't your fault, Mavy."

"Yeah it is!" She denied tearfully. "I-I-I didn't even d-do anything! Not even when t-th-the pain got worse!"

Johnny's hold on her became tighter. "Don't say that," He told her firmly, voice a lot stronger than he felt. "This was not your fault - it happens a lot of the time, there's nothing you - or I - could have done. It's just the way it is."

Mavis shoved him away from her hard, so hard that he nearly fell backwards off the bed. "How can you say that?" She demanded, outraged. " _Just the way it is_... So you're okay with it now? The fact that our baby is dead?!"

"Of course not!" He grit out, none too pleased that his wife had pushed him away again. "Why the Hell would I be okay with it? I'm _never_ going to be okay with it, Mavis - I'm going to wonder forever what they would have been like! All I said was that there was nothing we could have done-"

"But we could have," She snapped. " _You..._ You told me it was _nothing_...that it was just night sickness..."

"How the heck was I supposed to know that it wouldn't be?" He argued. "What? Did you _want_ me to say, 'Oh, Mavis, I think that maybe this baby's gonna die'?"

The next thing he knew, Mavis had reached out and shoved him hard in the chest; he fell backwards, landing on the floor with a _thump_! noise.

"Get out!" She seethed angrily. "You have no idea...no idea..."

"No idea? No idea?!" Johnny stood up and started to pace furiously. "You want _no freakin' idea_?! How about the fact that it was _my_ baby too?! How about the fact that I've been having nightmares every day since?! You try it, having to stand there in your dreams and...and watch everyone you love die...a-and you can't do anything..."

And just like that, his anger had crumbled and been replaced by raw emotion. Mavis could only watch as he let out a sigh and sat back down on the bed next to her, running a hand down his face tiredly.

"I can't protect you guys," He mumbled sadly. "I-I just s-stand there and watch this g-guy kill you... I mean, I see my parents and my b-brothers...a-a-and then Dr-Drac...t-then the baby...b-b-but then I see you and the kids and I just...I can't do it."

In that moment, Mavis understood what he meant; even knowing that, when he'd turned, he'd have to say goodbye to his entire family and watch them die hundreds of years before him couldn't have been easy... She still had her Dad and her monster family who stayed at the hotel...

In truth, the only family Johnny had left was her and their children. If anything happened to them...she didn't want to think about what that much grief would do to him.

Mavis leaned forwards and hugged him suddenly, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "Let's not fight anymore," She said, fighting back tears. "I'm tired of fighting...I just want us to...to..."

He understood, wrapping his arms around her again.

This was the hard part out of the way - now they had to get each other through this together.

* * *

Lucy had been having a rather confusing - but pleasant - dream...she frowned slightly in her sleep, trying to decipher the images appearing in her subconscious mind and twitched slightly.

_I recognize those eyes...and those curls...but I just don't get what it means...hmm...still, I'm not complaining. These eyes are really nice, and this guy's staring at me like I'm...I don't even know...maybe like I'm beautifu-_

"LUCY! LUCY!"

Lucy groaned and rolled over. "Go away, Mina. It's not breakfast-time yet."

"First of all," Mina started, taking a step back and putting her hands on her hips. "Yes it is because I ate with Grandpa. Second, I need to tell you something!"

"Can't it wait?" The red-head grumbled, rolling over in her bed again so that she didn't have to look at her sister. "Give me an hour or so, Mina...go and bother Jack or something..."

"But it's about Freddie!"

Freddie. Something in her snapped and she sat up, looking at her sister again worriedly. "What? What's wrong with him?"

Mina's bottom lip started to wobble. "He's leaving tomorrow night!"

_Oh Hell._


	15. Chapter 15

"Are you sure you want to do this, Mavis? I mean, you don't have to-"

"No, I want to. Fresh air might make me feel better, right?"

Johnny didn't answer, instead just watching as his wife tried to make herself look somewhat decent; over the last few nights neither of them had felt the need to bathe, change their clothes or do _anything_ so their appearances were rather untidy and scruffy. Mavis, in particular, looked exhausted and pale - she hadn't had her blood beaters or food lately, and it was clearly taking its toll on her.

"How do I look?"

The corner's of Johnny's lips lifted slightly. "No one cares what you look like, Mavy."

 _Hmm. That's his way of saying I look like crap._ "I feel cold," She decided, standing up and heading over to the wardrobe to try and find a jumper of some kind - she didn't have to.

Johnny appeared behind her, holding one of his own jumpers out for her to take. "Here," He said softly. "It's probably too big, but it'll keep you warm."

Mavis smiled tightly, feeling somewhat wrong about smiling so early after the ordeal, and pulled the garment over her head. It ruined her recently combed hair, making it ruffled and stick up at odd angles, but it _did_ make her feel quite warm so she didn't care too much.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" The red-head asked nervously, scratching the back of his neck. "I mean, I _know_ that you can walk around by yourself...but that's gotta be lonely and all..."

"I'll be fine," She muttered for what felt like the hundredth time. "I just need to stretch my legs by myself for a while...not that I don't like you being near," She added, not looking at him properly. "But I just think I need to be on my own for a little."

Johnny tucked some hair behind her ear and gave a resigned sigh. "Okay...I don't feel good about it though."

Honestly? Mavis didn't want to be leaving the safety of her room just yet, to have to face concerned guests and hear their concerns; sure, they were just trying to be nice, but they wouldn't understand it...how much it had hurt, how dead and empty she felt inside...

But she wanted to try and put it behind her - she wouldn't forget but rather try to move forwards...if not for her then for Johnny and their kids. They all needed her, and she couldn't afford to lose them too.

Luckily, most of the people she passed didn't do more than give small smiles and a curt nod - then again, that could have been because she was walking at a super-speed worriedly and so they weren't really given the chance. Some kind of calmness settled over Mavis for a moment as she strolled down the corridors aimlessly with her hands shoved in her jumper pockets.

Of course, all good things must come to an end - and this was a rather unpleasant one.

Mavis had been walking so fast that she had nearly flattened a guest of some kind as she rounded a corner; the two dodged each other quickly, Mavis' hands raising in front of her defensively. "I'm sorry!" She blurted, wincing slightly. "Really, I a-"

She stopped when she realized she had run into none other than Ava.

"Mavis?" Ava asked in surprise, eyes wide. "I... Hello."

Mavis ducked her head and shoved her hands back in her pocket. A conversation was the last thing she wanted right now, let alone with this woman.

"Are you okay?" Ava questioned tentatively, and she put a hand on the dark-haired vampire's shoulder.

She couldn't help it - she jerked away quickly and tried to hold in a whimper. " _Don't_ touch me."

"I heard what happened," The brunette vampire said slowly, looking rather saddened. "I am very sorry for your loss-"

"Sorry?" Mavis hissed angrily, her depressed mood suddenly being taken over by some kind of anger. " _Sorry_?! I highly doubt that _you_ of all people are sorry for _me_!"

Ava watched her quietly, her face not quite as bitter or hard as before. "And why wouldn't I be sorry for you? To lose a child...I can't imagine..."

"You don't care!" Mavis spat. She was aware that they were attracting some looks from other guests but in that moment she really couldn't be bothered to care. "Why would you? You've done nothing but _bully_ my kids ever since you've got here - and I know why! It's because you _hate_ Johnny for some reason...to you, this baby would have just been another one of his 'spawn'!"

The brunette vampire looked absolutely stunned by this outburst. "I... I would never..."

"You're not sorry at all," The dark-haired vampire continued, tears suddenly appearing in her eyes and messing up her vision. "You're probably glad, a-a-aren't you?! Go on, admit it!"

Ava said nothing, instead just watching as the vampire in front of her fell apart.

"You know what? Leave me and my family alone," Mavis sniffed, pushing past her to head back to her bedroom.

Maybe this walk had been the worst idea she'd ever had.

* * *

"Jack! Jack! Jack!"

"Mina, don't yell! Jeez, it's only, like, nine in the night-"

"But Mommy left her and Daddy's room!"

Okay, that was worth waking up for. Jack shot up, rubbing at his eyes, and stared at his little sister dumbly. "Hold on a minute...what do you mean she left?"

"She was taking a walk!" Mina stated excitedly, bouncing on the spot. "I saw her, right, and I called for her but she turned a corner and couldn't hear me...but still, I saw her!"

Jack patted the spot next to him on the bed and waited until the tiny vampire was sat next to him before speaking. "Mina...I hate to burst your bubble...but are you sure it was Mommy? I mean, it could have been any vampire in the hotel-"

"It was Mommy," Mina interrupted firmly, nodding her head. "I know because she had Mommy's hair and she was wearing Daddy's jumper. You know, the orange and yellow one?"

_Holy crap._

"Is she still walking around?" Jack asked quickly, ready to get out of bed to go and find his parents; as much as he hated to admit it, he'd missed seeing and talking to his Mom and Dad.

Mina just shrugged. "I don't know, 'cause I came to find you first."

 _Huh. You'd think the first thing they'd want to do is talk to us - but no._ "Hmm... Well, let's just leave Mom to it then. She'll probably come and see us later."

Thinking on it, the smarter side of his brain was telling him that their mother was probably trying to get better - slowly but still making progress. And while he would have liked nothing more than to see his parents and have them hold him and his sisters again, it wasn't the right time just yet.

* * *

It had gone badly - he could tell the moment she stormed in through the bedroom door and flung herself on the bed.

Johnny gently wrapped his arms around his wife and pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder. "It's okay," He mumbled soothingly - that was what she loved about him, his ability to remain so positive even in the most negative of situations. "You did good, Mavy... You did _so_ good."

And Mavis _had_ done well. It was a step forwards - albeit a small one, but still a step forwards.

* * *

Uncle Al _loved_ his nephew deeply; he'd raised Freddie since he was a tiny vampire of no older than ten, and had therefore developed a fatherly attachment to the boy (or young man, as he was now). Sure, they had the odd fight or two but they were a match; Al had given up his life to look after him.

One could understand why he was rather upset that night to see his nephew packing to leave.

"All this over a girl?" Al asked, raising an eyebrow. "Really?"

"You don't get it," Freddie muttered defeatedly. "She's not just any girl. I'm in love with her-"

"Then tell her how you feel," Al interrupted hurriedly. "Seriously, buddy, how do you know that she doesn't like you back? Have you asked her?"

The red-head sighed. "No...but she said I was, 'a great friend'. It's clear that's all she sees me as...all she'll ever see me as." He straightened up. "I can't stay here anymore, Uncle Al. I know it's only been a week, but I don't think I can work here knowing that I'll have to see her face all the time...I mean, her Grandpa _owns_ this hotel, so she's always gonna come stay."

The older vampire rubbed the back of his neck. "I know I can't tell you what to do anymore; you're an adult now and you have to make your own decisions. _However_ I'd really appreciate it if you stayed...who knows, maybe that girl will come around?"

"I doubt it," Freddie mumbled sadly, shutting his suitcase and zipping it up. He turned to face his Uncle with a rather sombre expression on his face. "Uncle Al? I really just wanna say thanks. You know, for taking me in and stuff. I really appreciate it."

"Family stick together," Al stated, leaning forwards and giving his nephew an affectionate hug; he wouldn't cry, not in front of him. "God...can you just make sure to write to me often? Just so I know that you're safe? I mean, it's a dangerous world out there, and I'm gonna worry otherwise-"

Freddie nodded. "Of course. I'm going to miss you, Uncle Al."

"I'll miss you too."

He'd cry after Freddie left - this young man was his only remaining family, and he was now leaving for good.

* * *

_Shit shit shit shit shit!_

Lucy knew that she probably looked awful in that moment; in her haste to try and stop Freddie from leaving she hadn't bothered to brush her hair, apply any make-up or tie her shoelaces correctly. As a result, the red-haired vampire girl was stumbling and tripping with her hair in her face to try and get to Freddie before he could leave.

She had to tell him...tell him...she didn't know what to tell him. She'd do _anything_ to stop him from leaving, say _anything_...she just didn't know what that 'anything' was.

"Oh, hey!" She skidded to a stop in front of a gremlin couple, looking at them with wide eyes. "Hello, Sir and Madam!"

"Good evening," The woman said kindly, squinting up at the vampire. "...Lucy, right? I always get so confused when it comes to you and your sister..."

"Yeah, anyway..." Lucy continued hurriedly. "Have you seen Fre- I mean, one of the waiters this evening? He has bright red curly hair, kinda clumsy..."

The male gremlin snorted. "Oh, that guy. Yeah, we saw him. He damn near killed us with his suitcase."

 _They've seen him_. "How long ago did you see him?" She asked quickly, not wasting any time. "Where was he?"

"Oh, it was about five minutes ago," The female gremlin said slowly, thinking hard. "I think he was heading to the lobby."

The Lobby.

"Thank You," Lucy muttered, already moving past them and running as quickly as she could.

_It's now or never._

* * *

Well. This was it.

And yet, he couldn't help but stop in his walking for a moment and look at the revolving doors. Freddie had absolutely no idea why but something inside of him was stopping him from walking out of the doors...he waited for something to happen...

Nothing.

Freddie gave a sigh. "Well, here I go. I guess."

Just as he reached the doors, however, he heard something that stopped him in his tracks again.

"FREDDIE! NO, DON'T GO!"

He spun around on the spot, nearly tripping over his suitcase in the process, and stared with wide eyes at the monster who had stopped him: Lucy.

"Wait!" She panted, gasping for breath. "Don't go, Freddie!"

She halted in front of him, clutching her side in pain - however, her eyes never left his. Freddie just frowned. "Why? Why do you care?"

"I...I..." She shook her head, red hair falling into her face. "Why are you leaving? You only just got here...and then there's Mina! I thought you were her friend. A-And what about your Uncle?"

"It's none of your business," He mumbled, looking away. "Seriously, Lucy - just leave me alone."

"But I can't!"

Freddie looked up at her again, surprised by her outburst. "Huh?"

Lucy bit her lip nervously. "L-Look, I don't know what's happened in the last few days...I mean, when we were on the roof you said that you liked this j-job. Why are you leaving?"

"I...It's complicated," He admitted, already turning away again. "I'm sorry, Lucy."

"But you can't go!" Lucy cried out, and he halted again - he didn't look at her, instead staring ahead with a vacant expression. Behind him Lucy's eyes had filled with tears and she was blurting things out without thinking. "You don't understand how much you mean to me!"

He remained turned away. "I don't think-"

"You don't u-u-understand!" She sniffed desperately. "I've been looking for you since my hundredth birthday... All I can think about is you! H-How sweet and k-kind...a-a-and I don't want you to leave!" She wiped her eyes with her sleeve before continuing. "I didn't realize how much you mean to me...not until now..."

Freddie could only listen in utter shock.

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked tearfully. "You're my zing! The one for me! If you go...what's the point? I-I need you...Hell, I _l-love_ you already. P-Please say you love me back."

Lucy watched, chest heaving, as Freddie turned around slowly, dropping his suitcase to the floor, and stared at her with wide eyes; she waited for him to snap and yell at her, to tell her that she was way off and completely deluded...or worse, he was going to be kind and patiently explain that she had things wrong-

"I love you too," Freddie admitted, voice hoarse. "I know that sounds crazy, considering we only met a few days ago...but I'm crazy about you already."

She couldn't help it; she rushed forwards and flung herself into his arms, crying tears of relief as she clung to him. Freddie held her tightly too, burying his face in her shoulder and suddenly feeling complete again.


	16. Chapter 16

Lying next to a guy on a single bed was cramped and foreign...but definitely in a great way.

Freddie's hazel eyes just stared at her in awe, one hand resting on her hip and the other reaching to stroke her cheek softly. "I can't believe that this is real..."

"My skin?" Lucy asked jokingly.

He grinned. "I meant...this. _Us_. I thought that no girl...especially someone like you..." He gave a content sigh, eyes filled with utter adoration. "If this is a dream, I don't wanna wake up."

Lucy just smiled, her hand wrapped around his torso so that he was closer to her. "So, you're glad that you stayed here?"

"Oh, definitely," He agreed, eyes shining.

One would wonder why the two were lying on her bed, close together, after such a short period of time - their feelings had only been confessed that night after all - but the answer was pretty simple to them.

This was not sexual; it was not about the physical closeness but rather the emotional closeness, the feelings that made up their relationship...and besides, they were both glad to have found their special zing, so glad that it seemed only right for them to spend some time getting to know each other properly.

Lucy slowly started to smile even more, one of her fingers tracing the pattern of freckles dotting Freddie's face; he had even more than she and her siblings did. "Your Uncle is going to be so... _happy_ to see that you're staying," She murmured quietly, so close to him that her words were pretty much being said into his skin. "I mean, I know I definitely am."

The waiter just nodded, continuing to gaze at her in astonishment; he'd _never_ in his life believed that he'd find someone like the girl lying next to him, let alone have her fall for him too. For once, he actually felt quite needed, like he had a purpose - to keep her safe for as long as he could, to love someone.

Someone who was going to love him back. The thought caused him to grin like a love-sick fool.

"Can I tell you something?" Freddie asked quietly. "Something about my...my family?"

Lucy just nodded, completely ready to listen.

"Well...I had a Mom and Dad years ago," He admitted, smile slipping slightly. "I don't remember them much...when I was ten, they were killed by humans."

The younger vampire's smile also fell, eyes wide with horror. "That's awful..."

"They...er...they left me with my Uncle Al," Freddie continued softly, voice suddenly seeming weak in his throat. "Uhm...Uncle Al says that they were going on a h-holiday, you know, to kinda bond as a couple without a crying baby vampire in the room... Uncle Al found out when one of the Monster Council appeared on his doorstep a-and told him."

"And that's why your Uncle raised you, right?" Lucy questioned.

He gave a small nod. "Yeah...b-but it wasn't easy. Like, when a monster is left an orphan the Council are then responsible for them. They took me away from my Uncle a-a-and said that they needed to think of...you know...my best interests." Freddie gave a small sigh. "Uncle Al fought as hard as he could to get me; in the end the Council realized that he was the only family I had left...and they must have figured that that's what my parents would have wanted..." He trailed off, unsure what to say.

Lucy's arms tightened around him. "I'm so sorry," She mumbled. "I feel terrible now. I mean, I complain about my parents sometimes but you...you don't have them."

"It's not too bad," He assured her half-heartedly. "I mean, I was only ten when they died - I couldn't even talk properly, let alone remember them."

"But still, to lose your parents..." She shook her head, unable to imagine what she or her siblings would do without their parents...well, without their parents forever. "And by humans? That's so horrible." She sniffed. "My Dad used to be a human, you know; he came here and they all thought he was going to kill everyone - but my Dad wouldn't have hurt anyone. His family were all humans too; I remember my Uncles and my grandparents a little but they died when I was little."

"I don't blame all humans," Freddie stated truthfully. "You can't blame an entire race on the actions of one person, right? I mean, that would be like saying that...that no one can trust vampires because of what that guy nearly did."

Lucy couldn't help it; she smiled again. "You're clever, you know," She told him, snuggling closer.

Freddie let out an embarrassed noise. "Heh. No, I'm not. I'm a clumsy idiot."

"You're clever in a different way," She clarified quickly. "And besides, I find your clumsiness endearing."

Okay, so she'd only recently learnt that word off of Jack but she still felt quite proud with herself for remembering it.

And besides, who cared where that word had come from when it had Freddie pressing soft loving kisses all over her face?

* * *

Johnny let out an exhausted yawn as he sat by the pool edge, looking around at all the guests with tired hazel eyes; anyone looking at him would have thought he'd aged ten or more years in the last few days, thanks to the stress and lack of sleep pulling him down.

He hadn't wanted to leave his and Mavis' room but his father-in-law had practically forced him to that evening (" _You need to start feeling better too, Johnny. Now, go before I have to lift you out of the room myself"_ ) and so there he was - sitting by the edge of the pool and wondering what to do next.

The red-head couldn't help but think about the last few days, mulling the events over in his mind. Before that week he'd never truly understood what it must feel like to lose a child before you got the chance to know them; sure, he guessed it was rather sad, but he'd always thought that husbands didn't feel anything since they weren't actually the ones pregnant.

Boy had he been wrong.

Johnny honestly loved all of his kids more than he could say; even when he had been younger he had known that he wanted to have a family when he grew up. Someone to love and love him back, to share the rest of his life with - and then there would be kids because every couple ended up having children somehow. Of course, much like with losing a child, he couldn't imagine how great it would feel to finally be a father until that day arrived one Halloween with the birth of Lucy. These feelings had only been made stronger when Jack and then Mina came along as time passed, and there was absolutely nothing he would trade it for.

He ran a hand down his face tiredly; he hadn't seen the kids in nights, and thinking about them just made him want to hug them more.

"Holy Rabies! DADDY!"

Johnny quickly turned his head only to have a tiny figure plop themselves in his lap and wrap their arms around him tightly; judging by the dark hair, it was Mina.

Something inside of him ignited and Johnny hugged Mina tightly to himself, closing his eyes and enjoying the feel of her tiny body in his arms. "Mina...oh..."

"What's the matter, Daddy?" She asked, pulling back and frowning slightly at him. "Are you not happy to see me?"

Johnny let out a laugh - it felt tired and fake to his own ears but at the same it was involuntary, as if he couldn't hold it in. "Of course I'm happy, silly! I haven't seen you in, like, forever!"

Mina grinned in a way similar to the way her father grinned. "I missed you so much!" She announced, going back to hugging him tightly. "It hasn't been the same without you telling me bedtime stories in the morning - Jack's good, but he doesn't know the _bestest_ stories like you do, Daddy!"

The red-head's heart started to hurt a little but he decided to ignore the feeling. "D'aww...I missed you so much too," He admitted into her shoulder, one hand rubbing at her back; he had to say, this had certainly made his night. "Where're Lu and Jack?"

Mina pulled back and bit her lip thoughtfully. "Well...I haven't seen Lucy since tonight because she ran away and said she had stuff to do...and then Jack is in the library reading."

He gave her a small grin when she pulled a face at him. "Cool."

"Is Mommy down here too?" Mina asked innocently, eyes alight with excitement. "I saw her earlier, but she didn't come talk to me."

"Uhh...nah, she's still upstairs," Johnny told his daughter, smile slipping as quickly as it had come. "But she's doing...she's doing okay-"

"I know about the baby, Daddy," His daughter interrupted quietly. "About how they went to Heaven to be with Grandma Martha...oh, and Uncle Matty and Uncle James and Uncle Daniel..."

Johnny tuned out for a while while she rattled off a list of family members who were in Heaven, shocked by what she had said. Finally, when she was finished listing members of family, he looked down at her with wide eyes. "So...you know about the baby?" He asked thickly.

Mina gave a few nods. "Yeah. I don't get it, Daddy. Why did they go to Heaven? I mean, without meeting us first? I asked Grandpa Drac, but he just said that he didn't know either."

No one knew.

"Who knows?" Johnny asked, mood suddenly a lot lower than it had been. "I guess...maybe...they didn't want to but they had no choice."

Luckily, his daughter didn't question it further and changed the subject - maybe she had picked up on how uncomfortable the red-head was. "So? When can we go and see Mommy? Does she miss us?"

Johnny didn't even have to hesitate as he put on another grin. "Duh! Of course she misses you guys, cutie! She...she misses you more than she can say."

He hadn't just said that because it was what his daughter would want to hear or anything: it was completely, one-hundred-percent the truth. Sure, him and Mavis hadn't really seen their children in what felt like forever, but they had their reasons - they needed to move past the incident, to try and recover. Their kids - even Lucy and Jack - didn't need to be dragged into that, and it was out of the best interest of the kids that made Johnny and Mavis stay away.

But that didn't stop the feelings of missing them from making an appearance.

* * *

Despite the overall mood of the guests in the hotel rising, some things unfortunately remained the same as the Sun started to rise - one of these being Mina's reluctance to go to bed.

"Come on," Lucy tried, trying to tuck a struggling Mina underneath the covers in the coffin. "If you settle down then I'll tell you a story..."

"Nope," Her sister muttered loudly, kicking the sheets off of her. "I don't wanna go to sleep - not until I see Mommy!"

From across the room Jack ran a tired hand down his face and sighed. "Mina, we keep telling you: we can go and see Mommy soon, when she's feeling better. But for now you really need to behave - for us and for Mommy and Daddy."

Mina sat up, crossing her arms defiantly. " _No_!"

There was a knock at the door. Lucy, not knowing what to do, quickly made her way across the room to open it and see who was knocking - with any luck it would be Dracula or someone else who was equally imposing.

It wasn't, of course; but it was still a nice surprise.

"Freddie?" Lucy asked, grinning at her zing (even thinking that word in her head felt weird!). "Hi!"

Freddie grinned back shyly. "Hi. I...err...I thought I'd come and see Mina before she went to sleep...I have something to give her. Is she in bed yet?"

"Uhm..." Lucy looked over her shoulder: Jack had now taken over and was trying to avoid their little sister's feeble kicks at him to get away. "We're working on it. I guess another few minutes wouldn't hurt."

She allowed the other red-head into the room, peering behind his back and seeing that he was holding a small bag of some kind; it was really sweet that he'd gotten Mina something, although Lucy couldn't help but hope that he hadn't bought her anything too expensive.

"Hey, lil' bat!" Freddie greeted, and the dark-haired child stopped struggling in the coffin immediately. "You okay?"

Mina's mouth fell open in shock. "Freddie? Freddie!" She jumped off the bed and ran up to him, throwing her arms around him and squeezing tightly. "You're still here! I thought that you had left for good, and I was really upset...but you're here and you're not leaving, right?"

"Nope," He agreed, shooting a small smile at his zing which she returned. "I'm definitely staying for good now."

His little friend grinned excitedly. "YAY!"

"Anyway, I have something for you," Freddie teased, and he gestured for the child to sit down on the bed. "It's not that big or anything...it's just a little something to, you know...take your mind off everything."

Jack and Lucy shared a look, both of them touched by such generosity.

They all watched as Freddie passed the bag to Mina and she opened it, peering inside - slowly she started smiling widely, eyes lighting up and face alive with excitement. "No way..." She pulled out the objects in the bag, amazed. "These are...they're just like Mommy's..."

The red-haired man gave a laugh. "Really? I just got them 'cause they looked like mine, but I guess if they're also your Mom's..."

Mina studied the pair of red sneakers in awe, mouth so open that her fangs were showing. "Wow...Thank You so much!" She flung herself forwards, careful not to let the shoes hit him in anyway, and hugged Freddie tightly.

"So," Jack said quietly while the two were distracted, eyes trained on his older sister now. "What's the deal with him? Like, what's going on between you two now?"

Lucy couldn't help but look away, somewhat embarrassed to be having this conversation with her brother - after all, it wasn't anyone's business really. "What do you think?"

"Well, considering he was going to leave and now he's not, I'm guessing you had something to do with it," Jack mumbled.

"Yes," Lucy admitted, nodding. "I told him that I didn't want him to leave...a-a-and I told him why too."

"And now you two are...dating, right?"

Dating. Huh. "Well...we haven't said those exact words," The older vampire told him, shrugging. "But I guess that that's the term, yes."

"Alright, lil' bat," Freddie laughed, ending their hug and looking down at her. "I think you need to get some sleep - after all, I think tomorrow's gonna be a big adventure night for us."

Mina's eyes widened and she eagerly scrambled into bed for him - to this, her siblings couldn't help but stare in mixed shock and amazement. "Okay, okay!" She agreed, waiting for him to sit down and tuck her in. "But you have to tell me a story before I go to sleep - I can't sleep without a story."

Freddie merely nodded, launching into a slightly clumsy tale containing dragons and knights; the kinds of things that his Uncle had told him about when he himself had been Mina's age. He wasn't just doing this because he was in love with her older sister, of course - he really did care about this girl. They were friends, partners in crime; the fact that he had zinged with her sister was just an added bonus to what he considered to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship between them.

* * *

One good thing that had come out of all this? The constant hugs. That was great.

Mavis gave a sigh, nestling in closer to Johnny as he muttered about his night quietly; before that week, he'd always be loud, voice excited and unable to contain himself...since then it was clear that his energy and enthusiasm had completely drained out of him.

"...Look, don't feel bad about that thing tonight, Mavy," Johnny said tentatively, brushing some hair out of her face with his hand. "She's just...you know. She's not worth it."

"I know," Mavis sighed reluctantly. "I guess I just wasn't expecting her to still be here or anything. That's all."

"Well, you did a great job today," Johnny assured her, giving her a half-hearted grin and pressing a kiss against her forehead lovingly. "I'm proud of you."

She allowed herself to relax into his embrace, their noses brushing against each other, and reflected on her current mood and feelings; right now, she was feeling...well, still quite depressed obviously since this kind of thing didn't go away easily...but now that she was getting used to the pain and sadness, she could feel something else...it made her feel quite freaked out when she realized...

She felt _empty_. Something was _missing_ and she needed it back soon.

Mavis immediately knew what that something would be - and how to get it back.

"Johnny?" She whispered. He opened his eyes and looked at her, waiting for her to say something else. However, she found that in that moment her actions spoke much louder than words, and pressed her lips against his quickly. Judging by the way Johnny froze up at first, he was pretty shocked. After a few seconds, though, he reluctantly started to kiss her back, slightly confused as to why she was suddenly acting this way but willing to do whatever it meant to make her feel happy again.

This soon became a lot more than a kiss, however, as made clear when Mavis rolled on top of him and her hands started to fiddle with the buttons on his pants and the hem of his shirt.

Johnny let out a choked noise, pulling away from his wife as best as he could - being underneath her, it was a lot more difficult than he had anticipated. "Mavis...no..."

Mavis just continued to press kisses against his skin. "Come on, Johnny...please...I need you."

Oh God, how his male instincts wanted to give in to her - but he couldn't. This wasn't right.

"No," He mumbled, trying to remove her hands from his clothes while she frowned. "Mavy, I k-know what you're thinking...bu-but this is _way_ too soon, don't you think?"

His wife just stared at him, eyes wide. "Please, Johnny... _Please_."

And then she was kissing him again, her lips brushing against the spot where she'd bitten him over a hundred years ago - he shivered at the sensitive sensation, unable to contain himself. For a moment, he truthfully felt like giving in to her - just letting himself go and loving her like he was accustomed to doing.

But then with that though it hit him and he knew he couldn't find it in himself to do it.

" _No_ ," Johnny stated firmly, pulling away again. "Mavis, I'm sorry but I can't - we _can't_."

Mavis sat up, clearly hurt by his lack of enthusiasm. "And why not?"

"Because...because..." He sighed, also sitting up and rubbing at the back of his neck. "Mavis, having another baby won't replace the one we lost. Besides, what if the sa-same thing happens again? I'd just feel better if we didn't..."

She crossed her arms, glaring at him suddenly. "I get it. You don't find me attractive anymore, right?"

The red-head's mouth dropped open he was so shocked by this statement. "No! Of course not! I mean, of course I still think you're... God, Mavy..." He shook his head at the statement, not finding much sense in it. "Look, I love you and...and of course I love doing _this_ with you...but that's why I'm not doing it now."

Mavis just raised an eyebrow.

"I...It's called 'making love', right?" He stated, sure that if could blush anymore than he would have in that moment. "This wouldn't be that. It wouldn't be special or loving or...or anything like that. I-It would just be a distraction, just s-sex. It's not right."

And that was it; Mavis was suddenly hugging him again, holding him tightly as she held in tears. "I-I know," She mumbled softly. "I-I'm sorry. I don't know w-what came over me."

 _That makes two of us_. "It's okay," Johnny told her quietly, wrapping his arms around her and resting his chin on the top of her head. "Just...know that I love you, Mavy."

"I love you too."


	17. Chapter 17

"WAHOO! Faster, Freddie, go faster!"

Guests could only blink at the blur of vampires racing past them; Mina was sat on Freddie's shoulders while he ran down the corridors, the girl with her arms spread out and flapping like they were her bat wings. Okay, so this wasn't really exploring but still...it was too much fun to stop!

Eventually, though, Freddie began to get quite tired out - after all, he _was_ carrying a child on his back and running around in no particular pattern. The red-head slowed down to a stop and leaned against a wall, completely exhausted by his zoom around the hotel.

"Okay," He panted harshly, straightening up while his friend just clung to him. "Let's...let's take a break now, lil' bat...wow...that was..."

Mina jumped off his back and landed on the floor with a grace that she could have only inherited from her mother. "Fine. But you're totally doing that again before I have to go to bed."

"Deal," Freddie agreed, clutching the stitch in his side. "S-So what do you wanna do now?"

"Hmm..." At that moment, her stomach gave a loud grumble. She put her hands on her mid-section and smiled sheepishly up at the older vampire. "Lunch?"

The red-head grinned and gave a nod. "Yeah, that's sounds saf- I mean, alright. Besides, after that run I'm _so_ hungry!"

"Hey! I have an idea!" Mina exclaimed, bouncing on the spot with excitement. "How about I race you? I bet you can't beat me - I beat everyone!"

Freddie sent her a jokingly competetive smile. "Actually, _I'm_ the champion of flight races - I could beat you _easy_."

Mina's mouth fell open but she closed it quickly and narrowed her eyes. "Nuh-uh! I'm gonna beat _you_!"

"Oh, it's on!" Freddie declared, holding in his laughter.

The two friends morphed into their bat forms and flew higher before they could start their race. Mina looked at the older vampire seriously. "If I win, you have to...you have to give me extra candy for a week!"

"And if _I_ win," Freddie shot back. "Then you have to go a whole week without candy of any kind."

The girl's eyes widened slightly - but then she remembered who she was and gave a confident nod. "Sure...but I'll win."

The two readied themselves, making sure that neither of them were further ahead than the other, and started a countdown together. "Three...two...ONE!"

With that they were off, flying down the corridor and towards a stairwell as fast as their wings would carry them. At first they were going at the same pace, and it looked like neither of them would win; but Mina had grown up with two much older siblings. She'd learnt how to beat both of them in bat races a long time ago, and was now one of the best flyers around.

Mina sent the red bat a smug smile his way before turning her head to face the ground; the result of this was, of course, that her body - now in a stream-lined shape - flew ahead much further than the older vampire did in a matter of seconds.

Freddie gave a chuckle and flapped his wings a lot harder against the air. "Oh, so that's how we're going to play. Game on!"

He hadn't been lying; one of things he was good at (though there weren't too many in his mind) was flying fast - it helped in case you were in danger, which was more than likely when you moved around all the time like he and his Uncle had.

In about three seconds he had caught up with Mina in the lobby, who looked panicked when she realized. "Not so fast, are you?" He teased lightly.

The child narrowed her eyes and looked forwards - and then her frown became a smirk. "At least I'm not about to hit a wall."

"What do you-"

He was cut off by his body smashing into one of the walls in the lobby, causing his body to ache all over. He let out a groan and heard Mina start to shriek with laughter - by the sound of it, she was already seconds from the kitchen.

Well, this was embarrassing: he'd been beaten by a little girl. Wait until his Uncle heard this one.

 _Ah crap_ , he thought, wincing in pain as he straightened up and started to fly after her. _Where the heck am I going to get the money to pay for all that extra candy?!_

True to his suspicions, when Freddie reached the kitchen Mina was perched on the countertop talking to his Uncle Al and laughing. When she saw her friend she giggled and waved her hand for him to come over.

"I beat you," Mina teased, beaming brightly and jumping off the counter and heading over to another chef to ask for some food.

Al just smirked at his nephew. "Really? Well, I never thought this day would come; you've finally been beaten...by a little girl of all things."

Freddie gave a nervous, embarrassed chuckle. "Yeah... I guess I have."

Something told him that this wasn't going to be forgotten too soon - or ever for that matter.

Unfortunately this was the very least of his problems - someone had seen their interactions and made a very big mistake.

* * *

"LUCY! LUCY! WAIT UP!"

Lucy stopped walking and turned to see who was following her - it was none other than Jack, who was panting as he tried to catch up with her; he had a heavy book clutched under his arm, black air suddenly messy and falling in his face.

"What?" She asked, crossing her arms as he halted in front of her. "What's the matter? Why are you-"

"Okay, so, I've been spending the last few nights in the library," Jack breathed heavily, using his free hand to push his hair back off his face. "I was just, you know, doing a bit of light reading to pass the time-"

"You call that light?" Lucy snorted, gesturing to the heavy book under his arm. "Seriously?"

He sent her a quick glare before returning to business. "I was reading when I came across this book-" He held it up for her to look at it closer. "It was on the top shelf, up high so no one could get it."

"Then why do _you_ have it?" His sister asked, frowning slightly. "If it's up high then surely you of all people shouldn't be looking at it."

"I was flying and looking for another book," He explained in a somewhat defensive tone of voice. "Seriously - one of my favourites is up there, and I was just searching for it when I accidentally knocked this one off the shelf. I thought, 'Why not?' and started to read it." He held the book up even higher in front of her. "You won't believe what this is!"

Lucy peered at the cover closely; she could make out the title or anything because of the thick layer of dust on the front...by the looks of it, it was an old book that no one would have wanted. "Okay..." She said slowly, starting to think her brother was going mad from all his time reading. "So what? What is it?"

"It's a history book," Jack stated breathlessly, pausing to see if she'd react. When she didn't, he gave a sigh. "This particular one holds tons of information about both the nineteenth and twentieth centuries - back when Mom and Dad were born, actually."

"Okay, so it tells us about history," She repeated slowly, still not understanding what was so important. "The history of what exactly?"

"Important stuff from those two centuries...like deaths of famous monsters, births of famous monsters...important events for our kind, like certain days..."

The red-haired vampire frowned, unable to see what he was going on about. "So..."

"So, I started reading them," Her brother told her. "And I learnt a lot; first of all, Grandma's death is in here - she's in here because she's famous for being, 'Count Dracula's wife'."

"Yeah, but we both know that already," Lucy said impatiently, wondering what he was trying to say. "Is there something important I need to know or is this just you freaking out for no reason again?"

Jack sent her another small glare, clearly unhappy at her lack of enthusiasm. "Fine, I'll get on with it." He opened the book, and it was only then that the older vampire reached he had various bookmarks sticking out at various points in the tome. "First is this page; it talks about the different crimes that humans have carried out on our kind, like torching and murder."

His sister shuddered on the spot. "Please don't go into more detail about that - that sounds terrible."

"Fine." He flipped to another page, sticking his tongue out of the corner of his mouth with concentration. "Here, this page. It talks about famous crimes in our world - this is the page that has Grandma." He pointed to it briefly before moving on. "And over here, in this paragraph...recognize one of the names?"

Lucy bent down, squinting to read what her brother was referring to; it took about ten seconds to fully realize, but when she did she suddenly felt cold all over.

_...Some of the most famous crimes of the twentieth century were carried out by Jackson Harker; Harker murdered over a hundred of his fellow monsters in one night, including his wife, Marianne. Harker then turned on himself, revealing himself to the sunlight and burning himself to death in the process. The result of his actions left many young monsters orphaned - including his own daughter, Ava Harker._

* * *

Mavis found that sitting in the lobby was strangely calming; she couldn't really explain it, but it was probably to do to with normal people getting on with their lives, not being weighed down by bad memories and experiences. For a few moments, Mavis caught herself yearning for this normalcy - to be happy without thinking about recent events, to just erase or rewind the past.

Of course, this was a wound that only time would heal - it wasn't visible to the naked eye, but it was just as painful.

Giving a sigh, she curled up in the armchair she was resting in and continued to stare ahead into space. This depression had really started to take over her life, and she hated herself for letting it; she hadn't seen the kids in what felt like forever, and she was frightened that the incident would drive a wedge between Johnny and herself. To be honest, this was the very opposite of what she wanted - she _wanted_ to see the kids again, she _wanted_ to be _normal_ and not worried about everything going on in her life.

 _I can't let this carry on,_ She thought sadly, frowning softly. _This isn't right._

None of this was right, though; losing a child couldn't have been right in the slightest, and yet it had happened. A mother's worst nightmare. Mavis ran a tired hand down her face and held her tears at bay - she didn't want anyone to catch her like this, while she was at her weakest point.

_Huh. Johnny would joke that, even after everything, I'm still stubborn and proud, just like Dad._

The thought caused a small smile to creep across her face; the moment she realized she was doing it, however, she stopped and resumed staring ahead silently. It just...it didn't feel right to smile...not yet...

"I am sensing an aura of sadness around you, darling."

Mavis nearly jumped in her seat, head turning to see who had crept up on her while she'd been deep in thought; a woman was stood there, watching with wide eyes behind huge glasses that seemed to peer into the vampire's very soul. Her skin had a bluish tinge to it, and her hair was a bright orange colour - whether it was natural or not, Mavis couldn't tell.

"Yes," The woman whispered, almost to herself. "You are sad."

"Generally when someone's sad, you stay away," Mavis grit out, not in the mood for more guests to bother her with condolences.

The woman gave a small smirk. "Sadness draws me in, sweetie. Now, let me see." Without warning she plopped herself down in the chair opposite the vampire and studied her with large eyes for a moment. "Hmm...yes. The sadness is very strong - it's overwhelming my senses-"

"Look, I hate to be rude," Mavis snapped, not really meaning it. "But could you please leave me alo-"

"It was a baby," The woman stated, causing the vampire to freeze in her seat. "You have an aura of loss...sadness, loss and the loss of hope... You lost a baby?"

Mavis, unable to move, just stared.

"I'll take that as a yes." The other monster sighed, leaning back in her chair. "I know you are very annoyed - I can sense it - but I guess I should say sorry."

That snapped her into action; the vampire glared at the other woman and bared her fangs threateningly. "You _guess?_ You _guess_?! What the Hell is that supposed to mean? That you're not _sure_ if you should feel sorry for me?! That...that it's not that big a deal?!"

"Of course not," The woman said calmly. "But these things are reversible, you know."

 _Reversible..._ "What do you mean?" Mavis growled; this woman had no right to say such a thing! "Of course it's not reversible...my baby died! You can't bring back the d-dead!"

The woman just gave a laugh, as if pitying Mavis. "Not if you're a powerful witch and medium such as myself."

And just like that, the world stopped turning - well, at least hers did.

"A witch...what can _you_ do?" Mavis asked, trying not to become too hopeful. "I mean...death is...is..."

"I have connections with the realm of the dead," The witch answered easily, smiling in a rather self-righteous way. "I can communicate with them, say, to grant last wishes. But it's also possible to pull someone back from the dead - to allow them to live out another life...or, in the case of your lost baby, the life that they never received."

Her head was starting to pound, her body freezing up in disbelief and some kind of sick belief. "Are you s-serious?" Mavis managed shakily, narrowing her eyes again. "Because if you're just kidding around, this is _not_ very funny-"

"No kidding," The other woman interrupted, looking the vampire straight in the eyes. "I have done it before...but it comes with grave consequences."

_What if I don't care?_

To be honest, Mavis wasn't sure what she felt anymore.

* * *

"Let's see what this is then... It's odd - we never get mail, do we?"

Freddie hummed in agreement from across the hall, finishing his duty of wiping down the tables after the dinner period. He wanted to finish up quickly so that he could go and see Mina before she went to bed - with some luck, he'd get to see Lucy too.

The thought of seeing his girlfriend made him move quicker.

"Hmm...It's addressed to you, Fred...You want me to read it out?"

"Sure, go ahead," Freddie agreed - then he paused when something occurred in his brain. "Unless...it's not a love letter or anything, right?"

Al raised an eyebrow. "Why? You got a girlfriend now?"

The younger vampire ducked away immediately and coughed. "Can you just read the letter out?"

While his uncle chortled with laughter and opened up the letter, Freddie concentrated on making sure the last few tables were clean so he could go...just three more...

"Let's see," Al mumbled before clearing his throat and starting to read aloud from the letter. " _Dear Mister F. Black,_ _we are writing to inform you that...that the council has received complaints..._ "

Freddie stopped wiping slowly and frowned to himself.

Al was scowling as he read the letter in his mind; his nephew just watched, waiting for some information. "WHAT THE ACTUAL FU-?!"

"What?" Freddie asked urgently, rushing to grab the letter. "What is it?"

His uncle didn't need to say anything - Freddie could read perfectly fine.

_Dear Mister F. Black,_

_We are writing to inform you that the council has received complaints regarding your alarming behaviour at your place of work, Hotel Transylvania._

_The complaints include:_

_\- A lack of work completed over the last few days_  
\- Physical abuse of a guest who was a minor  
\- Your alarming closeness with a young vampire child who you are not related to - suspected sexual abuse

_Please not that these complaints will be reviewed in the next week by representatives of the council, and that for the time being you are to be suspended from work. Your employer will be informed._

_Sincerely,_

_The Monster Council_

He didn't bother to read all of the names printed at the bottom. As the world around him became no more than a blur, the letter fell from his lifeless hands and onto the floor.


	18. Chapter 18

That night had been a particularly long one for Lucy; first of all she and Jack had spoken about the paragraph concerning someone they knew in a history book - and the information they'd discovered was kind of chilling and strange to take in. The thought of a young child having to grow up with that kind of knowledge also made her shudder; although, she still didn't think that gave anyone a reason to be rude and evil like Ava was.

It hadn't been so bad earlier - she'd been looking forwards to spending some time with Freddie before the Sun rose, and that thought had gotten her through the rest of the night. But then, come Mina's bedtime, he hadn't shown up. She felt a little guilty for being so upset by it, considering he _did_ have to work and all...but it just seemed odd, since he'd promised.

Lucy sighed as she flopped onto her bed and rubbed at her head. With all this stress, she felt like she was going to pass out some time soon; as she thought it, she couldn't help but muse that she was starting to sound like an old woman.

That was when she heard the unmistakable sound of someone slipping a piece of paper underneath her bedroom door; Lucy sat up, alert, and squinted in the candlelight to get a better look at what had just been given to her.

It was a small envelope, probably containing a message of some kind, so she stood up and walked over to the door to retrieve it; turning it over in her hands, she realized that someone had written her name on the front in slightly clumsy handwriting, as if they had been urgent at the time.

 _This is kinda strange,_ she thought slowly as she went to sit back on the bed - she never usually received letters, especially when she was staying at the hotel.

Nevertheless, she opened it so that she could find out why someone had bothered to post a letter to her just before sunrise and started to read.

_Lucy,_

_Meet me by the pool just after dusk - that way no one will be awake or around._

_Love  
Freddie_

A smile started to slowly grace her face and she clutched the letter tighter in her hand - she couldn't help it! The prospect of seeing him again - just the two of them - made her feel all tingly inside, and she suddenly couldn't wait until dusk fell the following night.

As she lay down in her coffin, smiling as she fell into sleep, she couldn't even fathom to imagine what he would have to tell her.

* * *

Mavis shouldn't have been doing this...it was wrong, she knew it was deep down, but still...

If there was a chance this witch was for real - that she really could bring back her baby - then she was willing to take it, regardless of the consequences.

That was why she had agreed to meet the witch later on as the morning arrived; down in the lobby while the guests and her family slept peacefully, blissfully unaware of the things she was considering. Of course it had been difficult to sneak away from Johnny, considering he didn't like to fall asleep lately until he was sure she was (it was some kind of protecting thing that Mavis didn't really get) but it was more than easy to fake sleep - and when she was sure he wouldn't notice, she had taken her chance and snuck away.

The lobby had been empty when she had arrived, so she sat in an armchair and patiently waited for the woman to turn up - unfortunately, this just gave her too much time to think everything over, and she was starting to feel quite nervous about what exactly what she was planning - but at the same time, she knew she was going to do it...no matter what it cost.

"Ah...I am sorry I am late, my dear. Spirits do like to communicate for long periods of time."

Mavis didn't even bother looking up at the witch. "It's...it's fine."

The other woman sat down, smoothing down her skirt and pulling her cardigan closer around her. "Let me see...ah, yes. You are the vampire with the lost child." She gave a small yawn. "Well, I suppose you should ask me some questions because I have nothing more to tell you."

"I guess...I'm Mavis," The vampire mumbled, finally looking up. "Do you have a name?"

"I don't call myself anything," The witch replied casually, as if it were a normal occurrence. "But others take to calling me Serena - you may call me that if you wish, or you can just not refer to me at all. Any other questions?"

 _Okay. She's kinda weird...but that's not important right now._ "Serena," Mavis said aloud slowly, giving a small nod. "Okay. So, you told me yesterday that it's possible for you to...you know..."

"Bring back your baby?" Serena finished, and the vampire gave a nod. "Yes, I can. I've done it many times before."

"But you also said that there's...consequences," Mavis continued hesitantly, starting to fidget in her seat. "So I guess I'm just wondering what that means - what will happen if I decide to ask you to...you know."

The witch was silent for a moment, simply regarding the woman opposite her with her large eyes. "It would be better to explain the process involved first," She replied in a rather serious voice. Mavis just waited patiently, desperate to hear whatever she could. "Bringing back the dead - or, as I call it, resurgence - is rather easy, if that person had a body before their death. I take it that your child did not exactly have a body when you lost them, correct?"

Dread filled the vampire's stomach, and she gave a small nod - maybe this wouldn't work after all.

"Well then, it's a little trickier," Serena sighed, leaning back in her chair. "It _can_ be done, of course - but it's all rather complicated. First of all, in the case that a body cannot be found then another person's may be used instead."

Mavis suddenly felt cold all over.

"Another method - one that you might want to consider - is a method using certain spells and such," The witch added quickly, seeing that the woman opposite her wasn't looking too confident in that moment. "It would involve you having to be pregnant again-"

"But that wouldn't bring the baby back," Mavis mumbled, feeling quite sick.

"Ah, well, it's not exactly like that." Serena gave her a small smirk, content in knowing something that the other monster didn't. "You see, to allow the past baby's soul to pass onto a new one your husband would have to be involved - assuming he _was_ the father of the baby."

Her eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "Of course he was!"

Serena raised her hands in defence. "It happens, my dear. And it is _very_ important to be sure." She gave a small shiver and wrapped the cardigan around herself even more. "I don't know how much you know about spirits but they are very tricky things to deal with - especially those belonging to unborn babies. In the womb they inherit half of their soul from each of the parents; if the wrong parents were used, then the spell would not work and it could cause a tear in the divide between our world and theirs."

This all sounded really risky to Mavis, and she suddenly felt that this wasn't what she should have been doing...and yet, something was stopping her from getting up and leaving. "But what would I have to do exactly?"

The witch just smiled. "To bring back the unborn baby, you'd have to become pregnant again: an unborn soul still needs developing after all, just like a foetus in the womb does. Luckily for us, the soul of a baby doesn't start to properly form until about six weeks - you know when because you experience symptoms such as morning sickness and hunger pangs."

"So you'd transfer my baby's soul into the new one?" Mavis questioned, suddenly feeling a lot more hopeful that this was an option.

"Precisely. I...I have something to confess, however." Serena gave Mavis a grave look, and the vampire knew right away that this was the grave consequence that the witch had been warning her about. "Transferring souls isn't entirely...well...the thing is, sometimes there is a mix-up when a soul is transferred...sometimes it affects the baby. It could cause them to be ill or something among those lines. And then there's you."

"Me?" Mavis asked, surprised that the conversation had turned to her.

The witch nodded. "Yes. Often this process effects the mother badly; if you go through with this, you could become gravely ill. You'd be weakened because of the energy the baby will use up - more than usual, as they _are_ resurrected - and if something goes wrong with the baby's health, it would impact you too. In some cases, the mothers have died." Serena sat back and eyed the vampire. "How do you feel about it?"

Johnny wouldn't have agreed to this, she knew he wouldn't have; even if it was only in some cases, he wouldn't risk anyone's life - let alone _hers_ \- to bring back the dead. What he would say if he found out...

"I want to try it," Mavis decided firmly. "As soon as possible."

* * *

As soon as the sky had gone dark, the Sun no longer posing a threat, Lucy was out by the pool and eagerly waiting for her zing to show up; she hadn't been able to sleep much that day, the excitement waking her up regularly. Eventually she had decided it would be better to just not try sleeping anymore and she had instead dressed as she waited for the Sun to go down.

The water looked rather warm that night, and Lucy suddenly wished that she'd brought her bathing suit down with her so that she could go for a swim; then again, she'd spent hours making herself look nice so it was probably for the better that she hadn't. Not that he would really care either way...after all, if they were zings then that meant that it was through thick and thin - bad days and good days. She'd seen her parents go through plenty of each to know.

"Oh, hey!" She called across the pool when she finally saw Freddie slip outside.

Freddie looked at her for a moment, some kind of emotion flickering across his face: was it regret? Guilt? Lucy suddenly felt like this was not going to be all that happy a conversation, but she continued to send a smile at him as he took a few steps closer.

"So, what's going on?" She asked when he stopped a few paces in front of her. "What's wrong?"

Freddie lifted a hand and scratched at the back of his neck nervously. "We need to talk."

"Okay," Lucy said slowly, smile slipping away quite quickly. "What about?"

The older vampire didn't look her in the eye, instead just mumbling with his eyes trained to the floor. "Well...I...I got this letter...and...I...uhhh...here." He pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and handed it to his girlfriend. "Please don't...yell at me or anything."

"Why would I...?" She trailed off, opening the piece of paper and reading it to herself in her head.

_Dear Mister F. Black,_

_We are writing to inform you that the council has received complaints regarding your alarming behaviour at your place of work, Hotel Transylvania._

_The complaints include:_

_\- A lack of work completed over the last few days  
_ _\- Physical abuse of a guest who was a minor  
_ _\- Your alarming closeness with a young vampire child who you are not related to - suspected sexual abuse_

_Please not that these complaints will be reviewed in the next week by representatives of the council, and that for the time being you are to be suspended from work. Your employer will be informed._

Just like that, goose bumps started to appear on her skin and she shivered. "What the Hell?" She asked, looking up at the other red-head and frowning. "Why would they write this to you?"

"I...I dunno," He muttered sadly, finally looking her in the eyes. "I mean, I guess I can see where they're coming from, but I didn't think it was that bad..." He took the letter back and sighed. "It's 'cause I beat that guy up - that one in the forest the other night."

 _Damien._ "Oh," Lucy said quietly as she realized. "I see."

"And the other thing...it's 'cause someone saw me hanging out with Mina," Freddie continued, half-ranting as if he couldn't hold it in. "They've got the wrong idea, I swear! I mean, I've never... I swear-!"

He was cut off by Lucy pressing her lips against his, silencing him effectively. When she pulled away, he could only stare at her in shock.

She just gave him a small smile, one hand resting on his cheek. "I know you'd never do anything like that," She laughed, shaking her head. "You couldn't hurt a fly, you know, let alone do those things they said in the letter."

Freddie slowly grinned, relieved that she was taking it so well; but then he remembered something else and the smile disappeared. "Yeah... We need to talk about something else, though."

"Okay, what?"

He pulled away from her, unable to look her in the eyes anymore. "The thing is, Lucy, you're only a hundred and four - you're a minor."

Lucy shrugged, not quite understanding. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"I'm a hundred and thirty," He continued, sighing to himself. "Technically, we can't...it would be wrong..."

Just like that her heart dropped into her stomach. "Oh. Right."

Freddie seemed to understand how much this had hurt her and hurriedly turned around to face her again. "No, it's not like I don't want to! It's just that the council...they're gonna be looking at everything I do. If we got caught together, they'd take it the wrong way. A-And I really can't lose this job...I mean, if they fire me then I'll have to leave, a-a-and then what?"

Lucy understood - it didn't mean she liked it though. "Fine," She gave in quietly, nodding weakly once. "We won't do anything while they're here watching...but...we're still..."

"Dating?" Freddie finished, giving her a slightly nervous grin that Lucy thought was rather cute. "Yeah, I guess so. Well, unless you don't want to that is."

Lucy leaned forwards and held onto his hand, a large smile stretching across her face. "Duh."

A week. It wasn't going to be easy - but if it kept him working at the hotel, where she could see him wherever and whenever she wanted, then it would ultimately be worth it in the end.

* * *

Jack was completely and utterly _exhausted_ ; he hadn't even bothered going to bed that day, instead staying up and reading various history books in the library. This wasn't the first time he'd done it - after all, when your Grandpa owned a hotel you had access to wherever in said hotel you wanted - but this was the first time he'd been researching a particular subject with such urgency.

Okay, so he was becoming kind of obsessed with that paragraph he had originally read - but he couldn't help it. For one thing, it concerned the hotel inspector that was currently causing stress and pain for his family in various ways, and he wanted to discover why she acted in the way she did. But another part of him was obsessed in a horrified way; he felt drawn to the idea of a murderous monster committing homicide before killing himself. Why would someone do that? What reasons?

He'd been studying for ten hours - with no breaks, mind you - and still been unable to discover anything more on Jackson Harker or his crimes. Each book just said the same; he'd killed many monsters without warning, including his own wife, and then turned on himself. He'd left many children orphans...that seemed kind of strange to Jack: if you were a homicidal maniac, why would you just kill the adults? Surely you'd kill anyone in your path...

"You haven't slept, have you?"

Jack spun around in his armchair, rubbing at his eyes to take in who had just entered and stood behind him; his grandfather just sent him a tired and strained smile. "No," The young vampire admitted. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Dracula said quietly, shaking his head. "I have not been able to sleep either. Bad memories turn into bad dreams and...I'd rather not have to suffer in my sleep."

He'd always thought his grandfather wise and looked up to him - besides his dad, Jack didn't really have any other male relatives considering that his dad's side of the family had died out a long time ago. Because of this he often told Dracula whatever was bothering him - grandparents always had answers, especially his.

"I read a book," Jack told Dracula slowly, hoping that he wouldn't be too angry. "It was on the top shelf, and it said something about this...you know, crime from years ago...and there was a name-"

Dracula held a hand up to silence the younger vampire. "You read about Ava, correct?" Jack nodded meekly. "I see. Yes, it is very unfortunate what happened to her and her family - it shows a lot about why she is the way she is now."

"How? I mean, it must have been upsetting and all to know that your dad killed people," The dark-haired teenaged vampire disagreed. "But that doesn't explain why she hates humans or anything like that."

The Count was silent for a few moments, simply regarding his grandson with serious blue eyes. When he did speak, his voice was low. "The books do not say the entire story," He said quietly. "There is a lot more to it. I could tell you, if you like."

Jack gave a nod, suddenly a lot more awake.

"Get comfortable," Dracula sighed, using his powers to summon a chair from across the room for him to sit on. "It is a long story."


	19. Chapter 19

"What is this for?"

Serena smiled and passed her a small vial. It was light blue and the liquid sloshed around in the bottle sluggishly.

"It's a certain kind of fertility potion: drinking it will cause ovulation, my dear. This way it's more likely you'll conceive without having to wait for certain weeks and such."

Mavis looked at the potion silently for a moment, unsure what to do. "I just have to drink it?"

"Yes. It lasts twenty-four hours, so make sure that you and your husband...well, you get the idea. As long as it is done within twenty-four hours drinking this." She tapped the bottle with her fingernail and gave the vampire a cheery smile.

Her dad had always told her not to drink potions if she didn't know what exactly was in it or if it came from a stranger - but she was this desperate. She _needed_ to do something as soon as possible, and this was just necessary.

"We shall meet in my room in two night's time," Serena decided. "And then we will check to see how much progress has been made; if it isn't working, we will have to keep trying until it does. And if it does...we will deal with that after."

Strangely, the idea of having to keep trying didn't have much of an impact on the vampire - what needed to be done _would_ be done.

Whatever the cost.

* * *

Although keeping away from Freddie was not something she liked doing - especially since she'd only really just found him - but Lucy managed to cope with it, knowing it was for the greater good.

Mina, however, was nowhere near as easy.

"Why can't I go and see him?" She complained loudly after breakfast. The youngest vampire had been rather annoyed that her friend hadn't turned up to talk and serve her breakfast, and now she was just angry that Lucy was keeping her away from him. "It's not fair!"

"I know," The older sister sighed, shaking her head. "I know. But I will explain later, alright?"

Mina frowned and tugged her hand from her sister's grip. "It's always 'later'!" She snapped angrily, causing a few passing guests to cast odd looks at the two. " _Later_ this, _later_ that...Why? Is it because I'm the smallest? Well, I don't like it!"

Lucy just stared at her sister, shocked by her outburst.

"Ever since the baby went to Heaven you and Jack have been bossing me around!" The tiny vampire continued, tears in her eyes. "I know you said M-Mommy and D-Daddy can't look after us, but y-you and Jack have started _acting_ like you're Mommy and D-Daddy around me..."

"We're just trying to look after you," Lucy muttered quietly.

Mina gave a small sniff. "No, you're making me feel stupid and little and...and just 'cause you're older, it doesn't mean that you can boss be around! I can do stuff, you know; I don't need you holding my hand everywhere I go and treating me like a baby!"

"Alright, fine," The red-head sighed, slumping slightly and rubbing at her eyes tiredly - this week just seemed to be getting worse and worse. "I understand, Mina. I promise that Jack and I will try not to baby you too much anymore, okay?"

The younger sister wiped her eyes and gave her older sibling a cautious look. "But...But I still can't see Freddie, right?"

"Uhmm...not at the minute, no."

Mina sighed too but gave a small nod. "Fine." She followed after the older vampire down the corridor, mulling things over in her mind for a few moments - and then something clicked in her brain. "Hold on!"

Lucy stopped and sent her sister an odd look. "What? What's the matter?"

"You..." She pointed at Lucy as it all fell into place in her mind and her mouth fell open. "You and Freddie...you...oh my gosh."

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

Mina just continued to gape in shock. "That's...you had a crush on him...and then when you started being weird, he was going to leave...but then when he wasn't he said he was staying...no..."

_Ah crap._

"Okay, I know what you're thinking," The red-head muttered quickly, suddenly terrified and nervous. "But there is nothing going on between me and-"

"You like him!" Mina declared firmly. "And he likes you back! And...Oh my Gosh, are you dating now?!"

 _Well, I suppose she was going to find out sooner or later._ "Yeah...kinda...look, I think we'd better talk about this somewhere more private, Mina..."

While the younger vampire just grinned and started to chatter excitedly as she walked with her older sister, neither of them noticed that someone had been listening in on their conversation.

* * *

This was not going to be an easy task - she had known that - and so she had had to prepare herself in a way that _hopefully_ would help persuade him - and now there was guilt starting to cloud her mind.

 _Is it fair_? Mavis wondered: _I'm practically taking advantage of him...no. I wouldn't do that. I'm just...just trying to convince him._

To her, though, this wasn't really going to work; having a flat stomach like she used to was not a likely option, especially after having three kids. Don't get her wrong, she loved them - but the result left on her body wasn't so great. Besides, there wasn't a lot she could do about it now - her plan was being put into action that night.

 _There must be something he likes still, right?_ She thought, touching various parts of her torso worriedly; after all, if he hadn't objected much up until then when having sex then she highly doubted he would now.

From outside the bathroom she could hear Johnny let out a yawn and the sound of the bed mattress creaking as he flopped onto the bed. _It's now or never._

Mavis picked up the bottle from where she had lift it by the bathroom mirror; unable to see a reflection in the mirror and unable to see exactly how she looked, the vampire uncorked the bottle and downed it.

* * *

"Hey, Mavy! So, I was thinking that we could... Woah."

All the blood he'd drunk that evening rushed into a rather particular place as he stared at his wife.

"I...uhmm..." Johnny fumbled, crossing his legs awkwardly. "Mavis...I...woah."

Judging by the look on her face, she was clearly flattered in a rather nervous way by his reaction. "Thanks," She mumbled, avoiding his eyes as she sat down on the bed next to him. "You like it then?"

 _Dang it, this outfit is leaving nothing to the imagination_. "Uhh...yeah. It's...uhmm...woah."

Woah. That really was the only thing he could say to summarise everything he came up with.

"I'm glad you like it," She murmured, and she was suddenly leaning in close to him, lips brushing against his ear and making him shiver.

 _No. No. This is not...this is not the time for sex._ "Mavis," He breathed, closing his eyes. "No."

"This isn't 'just sex'," Mavis argued quietly, lips trailing against the skin of his cheek. "I need to...to feel something. I need to feel _you_ , a-and I need to know...I need to know how much you l-love me."

 _Oh, Mavis. I love you more than you'll ever know_.

"You know I love you," Johnny managed, aware that his pants were becoming rather tight - there wasn't a thing he could do about it either. "We don't need to...you know...just to tell each other."

He felt her body pressing down against his in all the right places - and he couldn't lie. He was so, _so_ very tempted - it had been a long time since the last time too and it was getting harder with every passing second to restrain himself.

"I don't want this to be about a baby," He blurted before he could stop it. "I mean, if this is just because-"

"It's not," She interrupted softly, giving him a small smile that seemed a little forced but he shook the thought out of his head. "It's not, I promise. I love you and I...I want to feel the comfort of us being together."

Johnny swallowed thickly. "I love you too. A-And, I gotta admit, I miss it...all the closeness and stuff."

Mavis' smile widened, and suddenly she was leaning down and kissing him - this time, Johnny didn't even try to hold himself back. Allowing himself to relax, his hands travelled up the curve of his wife's back and into her hair, desperately trying to pull her even closer to him as their lips battled for dominance.

It was kinda like floating on a cloud; during this they could both strip their memories off with their clothes, leaving the harsh world outside of their connection and their love. There was no talk of sadness or children or anything like that - it was just the two of them, the way it should have been.

To Johnny, this was kind of like the very first time and he allowed himself to be caught up in the idea of it being similar because, in a way, it kind was a first time: the first time that they were doing _this_ after what had happened, the very thing that had caused their lost baby to exist before being snatched away.

They didn't try to be quick about it - they had all the time they needed, the world just a distant memory to both of them. They spent time re-exploring each other's bodies with their fingers and lips, eyes communicating feelings and thoughts about what they were doing. There were awkward moments where one of them weren't sure they wanted to be revealed that much just yet, but they were soon set right with whispered reassurances against skin, the words slurring together as the electricity between them rose higher and higher.

And when it got down to business...it was something else entirely. Johnny couldn't help but feel safe and warm and just _loved_ as they moved together in a way that they had both become rather fond of over the years; it felt like all of the sensations he was feeling were too much, and he buried his head in Mavis' shoulder as he panted harshly. He made sure to let her know exactly how much this was to him; he whispered sweet nothings in her ear and groaned her name when the pleasure continued to build.

_I love you...I love you so much. You make me feel special, like I'm actually useful. I love the way that you make me feel, the way that you look at me like I'm the best thing you've ever seen._

There were some things he wanted to say but he didn't - this was neither the time nor the place for them: _Thank you...you don't know how much you make me happy...you've given me so much in life...love, a home, a family..._

When the pleasure peaked they both gave moans and cries of release as they collapsed, Johnny on top of Mavis as they clung to each other tightly. Their breathing was heavy from the exertion of it all, chests heaving and bodies alive from the surge that had appeared within both of them; it was a feeling they were more than used to but each time it was still different...still welcomed and special.

"Johnny?" Mavis whispered, and he gave a snuffle to acknowledge her - words were still beyond him in that moment. "A-Are you crying?"

He hadn't even realized until he blinked and felt tears swimming in his eyes. "I...I guess I am." He gave a small chuckle and pulled his wife in closer to him. "I guess I just...I love you _so much_ , Mavy."

"I love you too," She agreed, voice suddenly a lot weaker than it had been moments later. For a moment he considered being slightly worried - but then he decided it was just because of their activities, of their connection and love, that was causing her to tear up.

Johnny, content and happy for the first time in a while, fell fast asleep within minutes; Mavis, meanwhile, just stared at the ceiling with wide tear-filled eyes as she held him closer to herself.

* * *

Lucy had only just shut the door to Mina's room when she saw Jack racing up the corridor to her; his history book he'd been reading was clutched in his hands and his hazel eyes were wide as he reached the older vampire. "Jack, what the-"

"Grandpa!" He panted harshly, clutching the stitch in his side. "He...I was in the library...and...he...he told me about Ava!"

Now, this was rather interesting indeed. "Hold on... _Grandpa_ knows about what happened to her?"

Jack nodded weakly. "H-He's just told me everything. I think you better hear this, Lu."

Lucy frowned softly at the urgency in his voice but followed after her brother as he walked to his own hotel room; whatever he had to tell her, she could tell it was important enough that he didn't want anyone else overhearing.

They didn't talk as they walked and so when they finally reached his room the red-head had to do her best not to bombard the dark-haired vampire with questions.

"So?" She prompted, folding her arms and leaning against the wall. "What is it?"

Jack took a deep breath. "You might want to sit down. It's a long story."


	20. Chapter 20 (or an interlude)

_Once upon a time there lived a young man named Jackson Harker. He was the only son of the noble and prestigious Lord and Lady Harker of London, and their only heir on which to pass on their lands and mansion onto. As he was of such blood, he was raised as a very articulate and learned man._

_One day, Jackson Harker decided to go out for a walk; it was afternoon and the fog caused by the smoke of automobiles was making him feel dizzy and sick. While out, however, he found that there was more than just fresh air waiting for him..._

* * *

Jackson gave a loud annoyed sigh as he trudged through the brambles; how on Earth he could get lost in a _forest_ of all things was beyond him. Then again, he hadn't been raised to do much besides work and be a gentleman to all that he met - it was kind of boring, to say the least, but that was just the way life was.

He gave a sigh and stopped to run a tired hand over his face. His mother and father had been desperately waiting for him to court a young lady from another rich and noble family, but he just couldn't find it in his heart to do it. It wasn't as if this girl wasn't pretty or nice - he just didn't feel for her in a certain way. And, really, what was the point of attempting to marry her if they were both going to be miserable?

The cracking of a stick from behind his back made him jump, and he hurriedly looked over his shoulder to try and figure out what it was. A small hare was sitting on the ground, licking it's paws and blinking with beady eyes around.

Jackson couldn't help but chuckle at how silly he had been; of course hares would be in the forest! And, being honest, what was really going to hurt him in a forest?

His amusement ceased immediately when he heard someone let out a laugh.

"Who's there?" He asked cautiously, looking around him for someone to appear. "Don't try to hide, I've heard you!" Nothing. "My father is a lord, you know - I can easily arrange for something to happen if you continue to play me about!"

"A Lord, huh?" The voice replied, and he realized it was a woman. "Sounds real fancy; not that I know much about Lords of course, being what I am..."

"And what are you?"

Something dropped out of a nearby tree, and he squinted in the fading light to see who it was. The figure stepped forwards - definitely a woman - wearing a slightly torn green dress; when he looked up at her face, however, any other thoughts had flown from his mind.

The girl - woman - in front of him was simply _beautiful;_ so beautiful that he was positively sure she wasn't even _human_. Dark wavy curls, almost as black as night...and her eyes, so green like the freshest grass. He really did believe that she was an angel sent from the heavens above - if he was correct, then what if God had sent her to him on purpose?

The woman blinked, also staring at him: her teasing tone had gone and she simply looked stunned as she took Jackson Harker in. "I...uhmm..."

"Jackson Harker," He blurted out, taking a step closer and holding out his hand for her to shake.

She took it, giving him a nervous smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Marianne Van Dort, by the way."

"Marianne," He repeated, the name tasting like honey in his mouth. "That is a very beautiful name...it matches you quite well, if I do say so myself."

Most girls - or women, for that matter - would have blushed at his comment; this girl _did_ give him an embarrassed smile but her cheeks remained pale. "Do you usually go around paying compliments to young girls?"

"Only to ones that are simply stunning - so only you," He smoothly replied. "So, Marianne, what is a young beautiful woman such as yourself doing out in the forest? Surely you must be worried about animals or predators."

Marianne just smiled, almost as if concealing a secret. "Oh, I don't need to worry about that. I assure you that I can take care of myself."

"Well, at least allow me to walk you to your home," Jackson insisted, not wanting to see her go just yet. "Just to put my mind at ease, of course."

The beautiful woman smiled and gave a small nod, allowing him to take her arm so that she could lead him somewhere.

* * *

_Over time, Jackson saw more of Marianne; he would sneak away behind his parents' backs to see her in the forest at odd times... For some reason, he never properly saw her in daylight. Sure, that day they had met, the Sun had only been setting - but she had remained in the shadows, safe and mysterious to all._

_As the weeks turned into months, Jackson found that he was becoming infatuated with Marianne - with her looks, with her wit...he was sure he was going to ask her to marry him one day. Just six months after they had met, he met her as usual - but this time, he presented her with a ring._

_Her reaction was to burst into tears._

* * *

"I...I'm sorry!" He apologized, putting an arm around her as she sobbed sadly. "I didn't think that I...I mean...well...uhh..."

"No, it's not like I don't want to!" Marianne cried, clutching to Jackson tighter. "Trust me, I really do love you and I'm so happy that you love me too! B-But I can't marry you...it's not right, we can't-"

"Why isn't it right?" Jackson questioned, quite perplexed by her reaction. "Unless you're already married, I don't see any reason for why we shouldn't get married." An idea occurred to him and he hurriedly continued. "If it's your parents, then trust me when I say I understand: my mother and father can be rather restricting at times. But I don't care - if it means that we have to elope, then so be it."

The woman shook her head, sniffling to herself. "I...I can't marry you. It's not right to marry you, knowing that you will grow old and...and I won't."

"What on Earth are you talking about?"

Marianne took a deep breath, pulling away from him and looking up at him apologetically. "I'm not human, Jackson. I-I'm a monster."

The young man simply looked over her appearance, not quite sure what to make of this. "You are not a monster; you are too pretty."

"Monsters aren't evil beings that walk around and look scary," She whispered, looking away from him. "Sometimes they - we - can be _beautiful_." She gave a heavy sigh. "I've let this go on too far, Jackson; the day you discovered me, I was hunting for some game to feed on. I-I ran out of B-Blood Beaters a few days before, and I was just _so_ thirsty..." She stopped, horrified with herself. "I'm damned."

_Blood...feeding on... Good Lord._

"Surely you're not suggesting that you're a vampire," Jackson muttered, eyes wide - he couldn't help but lean away from her slightly.

Marianne gave a bitter laugh. "I am - and not by choice, either. I was born this way." She gave a sigh. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I can only ask that you don't sent mobs out to murder me; I'm rather fond of this forest...what with the trees to keep me safe from the Sun and the constant food."

"Murder you? _Murder_ you?!" Jackson repeated, incredulous by such a suggestion. "Why would I want to murder you?" He placed a hand over hers, much to her shock and surprise. "You are not...dangerous," He stated slowly, still trying to wrap his head around the whole thing. "If you were, then I presume you would have killed me before now. I still want to be with you, you know."

His hand cupped her cheek, and for a second she relaxed into it: but then she remembered herself and jerked away. "I want to be with you too, b-but we _can't_ ; you'd die before me, a-and I'd be all alone again...I've spent all this time alone, and if I spent even the smallest amount of time being with you t-then it would be _unbearable_ to have to come back to."

Jackson bit his lip softly, thinking hard. "Well...what if you bit me?"

* * *

_After a brief argument, they had both agreed to it. Marianne bit him right there and then, unsure of what would happen: would he die before he could turn, or would he be lucky and survive?_

_Fortunately for both of them, it was only ten minutes later that Jackson Harker was fully conscious, looking around his surroundings with wide and interested eyes like he always was. Nothing had really changed - apart from the fact he was no longer human._

_Of course, when Jackson tried to explain to his parents the ordeal, they had not taken too kindly to it: their only son, only heir, a vampire...a monster?! Lord Harker chased his son out of the house minutes after the explanation, wielding a gun and swearing loudly at him to never return._

_Not that Jackson wanted to anymore._

* * *

_They had a short marriage ceremony performed by a member of the Monster Council (apparently, they were in charge of these kinds of things), and Marianne and Jackson Harker started their lives together as young vampires. Sure, they had rushed into their marriage rather quickly, but they both felt that they had good reasons - though, in the end, not good enough._

_After a few years of being on the run, the couple discovered that they were expecting a child: they immediately settled down in a small monster settlement so that they could raise their family safely and without fear of attacks from humans._

_They had a beautiful baby girl, Ava. She was - in their minds - perfect: with a mother's green eyes and her father's brown locks, she was certainly one of the most attractive children born that century. As she grew, it was clear that she was also a very intelligent and resourceful young girl who easily started to master her powers as they developed; the apple of her father's eye, she was also a very content child in the sense that she was loved by her parents and all those around her._

_For the next few decades, things looked bright and positive - but then it all snapped._

* * *

He hadn't meant to stare at the other woman as he went for his drink in the bar - but, damn, she was so good-looking! She was different from his wife: silky blonde hair and baby blue eyes that were wide and bright with mischievousness.

That was when it all came flooding back to Jackson.

He remembered how he had felt in the forest when he'd first met Marianne; how stunned he had been by her beauty, the need to impress her because she was attractive... Exactly how he felt upon meeting this other female vampire. In fact, all other women - including his wife - left his head and he wondered to himself various things.

_Are all vampires this attractive?_

With that thought, his mind was reeling: what if this was true? Admittedly, he had first 'fallen' for Marianne because she was so stunning and breath-taking...it was only later that he learnt she was kind and witty.

 _No._ Jackson shook himself, clearing his thoughts and deciding to go home to his family before anything could happen.

But within weeks, everything had changed in his mind: with a pang of slight disgust in himself, he couldn't help but reflect that his wife was no longer the woman he had thought he'd fallen in love with. She was no longer strikingly gorgeous; she had lost her slim frame after the lack of constant travelling and the stress of having a baby...to add to his displeasure, he realized she wasn't witty anymore, and her face had grown more grey and tired over the years. Sure, she was still kind, but what was kindness when it had nothing else to go with it?

And then there was the child...half of himself and half of her mother. Although she was certainly a pretty girl, Jackson couldn't help but frown to himself - it was as if he hardly knew who he was anymore. Since when had he decided to have a child with a vampire? Heck, in a normal situation he would have certainly not offered to be bitten, let alone _elope_ with a monster.

_How the hell did this become my life?_

There was only one thing for it: she - the woman he had trusted - must have _tricked_ him...he had been told old tales when he was younger about attractive women - many of them vampires to be exact - preying on young men out of lust and hunger. They turned the men in these tales, damning them to an eternity of Hell and sin and everything _unholy_.

What if this was what had happened to him?

* * *

"GODDAMN! You lied to me!"

"Lied to you? Honey, what have I-?"

"Don't call me that! It's disgusting - you're disgusting."

"Jackson...please, I've only just put Ava down for her midnight nap..."

"I don't give two shits about that...that monster!"

There was a slapping noise, and Ava shrunk deeper into the covers of her coffin.

"YOU HIT ME!"

"YOU called our daughter a monster...and not in a good way either! Jackson, what has gotten into you recently? You were absolutely fine this evening-"

"I'll tell you what's gotten into me! You and your goddamn demon powers!"

" _Demon pow_ -"

"You tricked me...You tricked me into thinking I'd fallen in love, didn't you? Those days in the forest I thought I was falling for you...and you were just casting a spell on me. Unnatural love."

There was silence, and Ava opened her eyes, breathing heavily to herself. Maybe they had stopped arguing, but she couldn't quite be sure yet. _Please...I don't want Mommy and Daddy arguing..._

However, the voices started again. "How could I trick you? _Why_ would I trick you, Jackson? I love you-"

"No," Ava heard her father snarl and gave a whimper to herself: she didn't like this side of him very much. "You are a _whore_ \- a she-devil, created by Satan to _trick_ men into falling in love...for your own selfish lust!"

"My _lust_? Jackson, please, will you just listen to yourself? This is ridiculous! I have never been with anyone but _you_!"

Quietly, so as not to alert her parents that she was out of bed, the child got out of her coffin and moved towards the bedroom door; from this angle, she could see both of her parents as they argued. Her mother was clearly at a loss, slumped in defeat and face tearstained while her father was just plain _scary_ ; she actually shrunk back a little, terrified by how red his eyes were and how long his fangs had elongated.

"Jackson, please," Her mother pleaded desperately, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Please just listen to me-"

He barked out a laugh. "Listen?! To _you_?! Not likely!" He leaned in closer, voice suddenly low and dangerously silky. Ava had to strain to listen. " _You_ tricked me out of my humanity. _You_ made me give up my family... I could have died because _you_ bit me!"

"I didn't make you give up anything," She whispered hoarsely, shaking her head. "You decided to become a vampire so...so that we could be together. You said that that's what you wanted..."

Jackson stared at her, eyes wide and giving him an appearance of a mad man. "I don't know who you are."

Suddenly he shoved his wife backwards and she collided with a wall; with vampire speed, he had rushed to the kitchen and back...returning with a kitchen knife. Marianne gave a small whimper but didn't move, obviously hoping that he'd suddenly see sense...see what he was doing was wrong...

Ava wasn't so stupid; she knew that there was nothing to be done but watch in horror and also hope that her father would snap out of it.

_Daddy...please, no...Daddy...DADDY!_

"DADDY!" Ava screamed, squeezing her eyes shut as the knife sliced into her mother's body over and over again.

* * *

_That act began the night of one of the biggest mass murders in the monster world. After stabbing Marianne to the point of death and most of her body parts handing by little stretches of muscle and tissue, Jackson stared at the knife in his hands, oblivious to all else. He had allowed himself to be driven crazy by the thoughts in his head._

_Ignoring the cries of his daughter, the young vampire stood up, knife in hand, and headed for the door; he opened it and left without bothering to shut it, leaving Ava Harker to watch the events due to unfold from her bedroom window._

_To clarify, he murdered his fellow monsters that night indiscriminately: he did not search for certain people, instead going around town and murdering anyone who happened to be in his path. Children, however, he decided to leave - they were to suffer, he decided, suffer a fate worse than death for what their parents had done. The types of monsters were also random; fellow vampires, werewolves, flesh golems, yetis, gilmen... If they were there, they were to die._

_Of course, news spread fast and those who had been out but not yet discovered managed to escape into their houses before they could meet their own demises. Jackson did nothing to go after them; they were not out and therefore not his to kill._

_By the time he had gone all around town, dead bodies littering the streets and the stench of blood strong, Jackson Harker returned to his house for one final time - he knew what he wanted to do, but he had one last person to see._

* * *

Ava gave a sob as she heard the bedroom door creak open, and she hid her face in her knees.

"Damn. You really look human...that's the problem with blood-suckers...they use it as a trick."

She didn't like the sneer in her father's voice, the obvious hate dripping from it. Fathers were not meant to hate their wives or children - no one was meant to _kill_ others for pleasure or revenge or for _anything_. People weren't meant to hate _themselves_ so much that it reflected on their decisions about other people.

"Dammit, child, look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Ava gave a sniff and looked up at her father with terrified green eyes; she had hoped to grow up and be a lady...to have her castle, like the tiny ones she had played with when her mother had been alive. To be rich and powerful, maybe, or to just show off to the world how intelligent she was.

Jackson looked her over. "Huh. Don't look so terrified: I'm not killing you."

Her eyes widened out of shock as he bent down to look at her closely.

"Listen to me," He muttered, voice low and gravelly. This wasn't like him at all, Ava silently thought, and tried not to look too scared. " _You_ are going to grow up: you're going to grow up knowing how...how unholy this is. How you will go to Hell when you do die because you're a blood-sucking monster."

 _I'm not,_ Ava thought defiantly - she didn't dare say it out loud.

"You - and all the other blood-suckers - will grow up _knowing_ what your parents have done...knowing that you're going to be monsters."

Before she could so much as blink, he had gone.

* * *

_In all truthfulness, dear reader, Jackson never really had been in love with Marianne; no, what he had felt in the forest was not a zing or even love of any kind - it was lust, leading to his infatuation with her looks. It's no secret, as you know, that vampires in particular are usually more attractive than the average human - their skin heals any imperfections or impurities in regards to looks. It does no change to personality, of course, but in the end he hadn't fallen for her personality._

_In the end, his mind had been unbalanced. He had snapped, and it had unfortunately caused him to go so crazy that he resorted to murder._

_Ava had grown up, of course, and been as intelligent and resourceful as everyone had thought she would be. But she was cursed; cursed with the knowledge of what her father had done, of how many children he had left orphaned because of this._

_But, as she grew older, she also realized certain facts about her father: how he had been changed by her mother, how he had been human beforehand. These facts also changed her perception on humans entirely - and those who had been turned._


	21. Chapter 21

"So tell me, Mister Black, you have been working at this hotel for how long?"

"About a week," Freddie answered nervously, the palms of his hands starting to sweat a little.

The other monster - a fly who buzzed on the spot - nodded and wrote down some notes to look back on later. "I see. How exactly did you come by this job?"

"My uncle heard that they needed a chef," The red-head said slowly. _I need to relax!_ "So he applied for that job...and he managed to get me a job too. At first I was meant to be helping him cook, but then...uhh...we found out I couldn't cook."

_Smooth, Freddie, really smooth._

"According to your record, you've had at least fifty jobs in the last fifty years. Why so many?"

"I lost them," Freddie admitted sheepishly. "Well, some of them I lost...some of them I kinda had to quit, 'cause we had to move... Does that make sense?"

The fly just eyed him, clearly not impressed by his clumsy answers.

"We had to move because of humans!" Freddie added, unable to stop talking. "Well, sometimes it was because of humans, other times because we couldn't live in a certain place any longer... You know when you live somewhere and it's not right? We had that sometimes."

_I am a giant idiot._

The fly scribbled some more notes down. "Uh-huh. Now, I'm sure that you are aware of the accusations being held against you - you received a letter, correct?" The young vampire nodded. "Before I watch your behaviour from afar, I'd like to hear your...shall we say 'defence; against the points made."

"A-Alright." Freddie quickly thought hard, trying to remember the things mentioned on the letter. "It's a long story, really..."

"Let's start off with...your work," The fly decided, squinting at a piece of paper in his hands - he obviously had a copy of the letter for reference. "Apparently the quality of your work has been decreasing over the past few nights. Care to explain?"

"Okay, fine," The red-head agreed worriedly. "I haven't really been doing a lot of work lately - but I have a good reason! See, my...friend's been...uhm...having a really difficult time. I-I'd rather not go into specific details, but she was rather upset about it so I was looking after her until she felt better."

"Would this friend be the minor mentioned in this letter?" The other monster asked, looking down at it again. "Let's see...apparently you have an inappropriate relationship with a young child that you're of no relation to." The fly didn't look too impressed and eyed the vampire coldly. "Tell me, Mister Black, how did you come to know this child?"

 _Just tell the truth - you've done nothing wrong._ "I met her while I was doing the waiter job," Freddie answered, his voice surprisingly calm. "She was too tiny to reach the food she wanted, so I helped her get it...I guess she took a liking to me or something, because a few hours later she came running into the kitchen and begged me to play games with her."

"What games?"

 _Oh jeesh...he thinks..._ "Hide-and-Seek. Bat-tag. That kind of thing."

The fly wrote this down before continuing. "And what about this second point: _violence towards a minor_. This wouldn't be the same minor, would it?" Freddie shook his head quickly. "Then who is it referring to? Do you have any explanation for why this complaint was made?"

"I know who it is," Freddie said quietly, giving a small nod. "I...I was defending a girl from him."

The fly tilted his head sideways, somewhat intrigued. "Defending a girl?"

"Yeah. Uhmm...he had this girl with him...I could hear her crying for help from the hotel, so I went to look to see what was going on...and..." He stopped talking, suddenly feeling anger bubble up in as he remembered what had happened that night in the forest.

The monster from the Council didn't seem to notice this and instead continued his questioning. "And what?"

"This...this _guy_ was pinning L-...some girl to a tree...you know, as if he was going to...you know."

He didn't want to bring Lucy or Mina's names into this - the best thing he could do for the two of them was stop them from being more stressed out, what with everything that was going on at the moment. However, he certainly wouldn't have minded bringing Damien's name into this: the sooner someone dealt with him the better. Unfortunately, Freddie wasn't really sure what his name was - he didn't want to say the wrong name and bring an innocent monster into this mess.

"So you attacked the boy to stop him from attacking someone else?" The fly asked, voice suddenly a lot less angry and mean; hopefully he was starting to think Freddie was innocent. "That changes things. Do you know the girl's name?"

Freddie shook his head hastily. "No, I don't. As soon as I hit the guy she ran for it."

A little white lie never hurt anybody - in fact, this one would be better for all of them involved.

* * *

"So, how do we test this?"

Serena gave her a confident smile. "A simple spell. I have my wand in my pocket just here - you need to relax or it won't work."

Mavis nodded, taking a deep breath to calm herself. She severely hoped this spell had worked; she didn't want to have to use Johnny again in the way she had. The thought of what she had done - knowing that he had trusted her - make her feel sick to her stomach, and she was in no hurry to do what she had done again.

Serena pulled her wand out and whispered a spell that made the end glow with a silver light. "The light - once I've given a final incantation - will change colour, depending on what the result is."

Mavis wanted to question which colour the light would go if it had worked but didn't have the time; within seconds the witch had touched the tip of the wand to the vampire's stomach, staring down at the light with wide eyes.

What she said next, Mavis couldn't make out - it sounded like a different language, and she couldn't identify any words that sounded even remotely English. Regardless, her eyes were immediately drawn to the light, the anticipation building up in her in an almost unbearable way.

The light stayed silver for a moment before it started to ease into another colour - seconds later, it had gone a blue colour.

Serena gave a large smile. "Yes...very good..."

"What?" Mavis asked urgently. "Did it work?"

"Yes," The witch said slowly, eyes bright as if she had seen something she liked. "It did. And now we plan out the next stage."

This was it. There was no going back.

* * *

Lucy could only gape at her younger brother, utterly astounded by the information she had just received. Jack just sighed, rubbing at the back of his neck worriedly.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope. I wish I was, Lu, I really do."

Lucy sat back on his bed, leaning against the wall and shaking her head in horror. "I can't imagine," She whispered softly. "Imagine seeing your father _murder_ your mother...murdering others... And then she had to live with it too, knowing that it was her father's fault that so many other children were orphans..."

"Yes," Jack agreed slowly, nodding. "That is rather sad, but can't you see what else this means?"

She clearly didn't, judging by the blank expression on her face.

The vampire boy gave an annoyed sigh and started gesturing wildly so that his sister would understand. "Think about it: ever since she got here she's had a thing about Dad, right? Well, he used to be human, just like-"

"Just like _her_ dad," Lucy finished, utterly astounded. "So _that_ 's why she kept complaining about him and saying he was dangerous - she's scared that he'll do what her dad did hundreds of years ago."

Jack sat down next to her on the bed, biting his lip. "I feel kinda bad for hating her, now that I know what she's been through."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence between the two siblings as they both digested this news separately and tried to make sense of it.

Finally, Lucy lifted her head, looking rather guilty as she spoke. "You don't think...you know... You don't think that Dad would try anything like that, do you?"

Jack stared at her out of shock. "No! Of course he wouldn't! He...He wouldn't, Lu! We know him, he wouldn't hurt a flea!"

"But everyone probably thought that about Jackson Harker too," The red-head stated. "And then look what happened; he murdered hundreds of people in one night because he was driven to insanity... It was probably the stress of losing his humanity catching up with him."

"Dad isn't like that," The dark-haired vampire said firmly - he was determined to be right. "You know what Mom and Dad say about it: Dad practically _begged_ Mom to change him because she was scared, wasn't she? They both knew what was going to happen-"

"So did Jackson and Marianne," Lucy argued softly, looking rather upset. "He asked her to bite him and she agreed - they both knew what was going on then."

Jack shook his head; he had decided immediately after hearing this story that their father was nothing like that. "Lu, Jackson and Marianne knew each other for _six months_ \- Mom and Dad knew each other for _five years_. I think that they had both thought this through beforehand."

Lucy sighed. "I guess you're right there...I just can't help but worry. I mean, with the stress of losing the baby and everything...what if it does something?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, what if it does something to their...their mental state?" The older vampire pointed to her head weakly for an example. "What if it makes them both so depressed that...I dunno...Dad suddenly goes crazy like Jackson did? What if he suddenly regrets everything-"

"He wouldn't!" Jack interrupted sharply, angry now. "Dad loves us! You've seen him, you've seen how he acts around Mina especially! He wouldn't do anything like that!"

Lucy huffed. "I'm sorry, but I'm just trying to think of the worst case scenario - just in case it _does_ happen and _we_ have to sort it out." She climbed off of his bed, heading for the door.

Jack watched after her with wide eyes. "Where are you going?"

"I need some air to think," She replied, opening the door and shutting it loudly behind her.

Only one person would understand and, rules or no rules, she was going to see him.

* * *

Freddie gave a yawn as he watched the trees in the forest sway; he'd come outside for a break from the council member following him around and asking other guests various questions about him, and he was now sat in a deck chair by the pool watching the stars shine brightly in the sky.

So far, he thought that this whole inspection thing was going pretty well. Okay, sure, so some people were probably going to complain about his lack of work as of recently, but besides that he usually tried to be nice and polite to the guests.

For the time being, he could only wish that his politeness and kindness would have paid off.

After a few minutes of watching the world go by, he heard the pool door open and close - someone else had also come outside. _Hmm...probably that fly or something checking up on me._ Freddie swivelled around in his chair, peering through the darkness to see who had come to join him.

He was quite shocked to see Lucy standing there, looking paler than usual and as if she was going to cry at any minute.

"Hey," He greeted quietly, standing up quickly and taking a few steps towards her. "A-Are you okay?"

Lucy moved closer too, sniffling quite a bit as she rubbed at her eyes. "It's...It's been a long night."

"Tell me about it," Freddie agreed awkwardly, sticking his hands in his pockets and feeling stupid. "You know, what with the council people and stuff..."

And suddenly he found that she'd thrown herself into his arms, wrapping and entwining her body with his tightly. For a moment, Freddie gladly reached up to hug her back, to stroke her hair maybe and tell her that it was all going to be alright...

But then he remembered that she was a minor, and he couldn't.

"I wish I could help," He muttered guiltily before sighing. "I just dunno anymore..."

Lucy pulled away enough to look at him properly; there were tears in her eyes, and it was clear that she was trying her very best not to cry in front of him. "Don't leave me," She mumbled, moving her head closer to his...

And, oh God...there it was. That zing that only occurred when her skin brushed against his, when their lips met...a nagging voice in the back of his head admonished him and screamed for him to pull away in case somebody saw: he was in enough trouble as it was, he couldn't afford to be brought into even more...

But the main part of his brain was screaming for him to kiss her back, so he did; he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him and relaxing into the kiss. There was comfort in feeling her lips pressed against his, telling him that it was all going to be alright because _she_ was there with him and that just made everything perfect.

For the moment, there were no others: it was just them two, united and complete.


	22. Chapter 22

Lucy had just been having a rather pleasant daydream over breakfast the following night containing herself and a certain other red-haired vampire when her brother nudged her hard in the ribs, effectively bringing her out of her fantasy.

"What?" She snapped, blinking as she was brought back to the real world. "What is it?"

Jack pointed across the room for her to look - Ava was sitting by herself at a table, writing out some notes. "What do you think she's writing?" Jack asked quietly as they stared at her. "Do you think it could be-"

"The report," Lucy finished softly, all thoughts of her previous fantasy gone. "I suppose she has no choice but to write it; after all, that _is_ what she came here for...it's been longer than a week too, but I guess with everything going on lately she's been rather...distracted."

The younger vampire snorted in contempt. "Distracted? Why the heck would she have been distracted? I mean, it's not like she cares for any of us-"

"Yes, but we know why now," The red-head interrupted quickly, giving her brother a pleading look. "It wasn't us she hated... Hell, being honest, maybe she didn't actually _hate_ Dad...she was just scared because of what happened to her when she was little."

"That's still no reason to treat someone the way she did," Jack argued. "I mean, sure, maybe our Dad is a _little_ similar to hers, but that's no reason to treat someone like crap when they're trying to relax with their family: that's not even how we'd treat humans!"

Lucy sent him a small glare. "I'm not saying what she did was right. All I'm saying is that I can sort of see her reasons for acting like she did-"

"Oh, so now you're taking her side?" Jack flared up.

"I'm not taking her side!" Lucy argued angrily, glaring harshly at him. "I don't take sides, you know. I agree with you - she acted so horrible towards us that we should have _complained_ to the _Council_ ourselves. But when you look at her past, it all fits together: why she wanted to join the Council in the first place, why she hates humans or humans who turned as much as she does."

The two turned back to look at Ava in hope and worriedness; what if her report was bad? Or worse, what if she was writing to the Council asking for the immediate closing down of their hotel? The thoughts made them feel sick with fear.

"I hope it's good," Lucy murmured.

Jack gave a nod in agreement. "Me too...Lu? Don't take this the wrong way, but...do you think she knows about what your...well, what Freddie did?"

"He didn't do it," She told him firmly.

"Okay, fine: what he's been accused of?"

Lucy gave a heavy sigh. "I hope not, but it's likely. After all, Ava's part of the Council, and so is the monster watching Freddie. It's likely they've spoken."

Both of them silently wished that such thing hadn't happened; not just for Freddie, but for the hotel...and for their Grandpa.

* * *

Apparently, as Mavis soon found out, the next step in the process was by far the most difficult one: although she herself had not very much to do, the details that Serena gave her sounded very long-winded and complicated.

"First of all," The witch started, rubbing her hands together in preparation. "I will need you to lie on this bed here...that's right, that one...while I contact the spirit world."

"And then what?" Mavis asked, sitting on the bed somewhat nervously.

Serena thought for a moment before remembering the exact details. "Ah, yes! I will try to contact the soul of your lost child, my dear. This may take a while, I'm afraid, what with how many souls have passed on over time."

 _Hmm. I wonder if my Mom's there._ "And then?"

The witch smiled in satisfaction. " _And then_ I will summon the soul to our world and transport them into your womb, where a new embryo is currently forming. Hopefully this soul...whomever they were going to be...will then flow into the new baby's body."

Mavis nodded before something appeared in her head. "Hold on," She said slowly, suddenly a lot more unsure. "How will you know if it's worked?"

"Well...that's the thing," Serena explained, somewhat sheepishly. "Because the baby was clearly not among us, we don't know who they were... _However_ , we can assume that it has worked if the baby is born and not deformed or ill...or, as in one particular case I remember, born with two souls."

The thought of that happening to a child made the vampire sick, and she wondered if it was too late to back out - of course it was. The process had already started and there was no stopping it.

As the witch turned out all of the lights in the room and started muttering funny words under her breath, Mavis lay back on the bed and closed her eyes; she was feeling rather anxious and she knew it would be better to calm down before the soul was summoned and used.

_Think...think..._

She thought back to certain memories: of her childhood, innocently playing various games with her fathers in the corridor of their hotel home. She could remember various birthdays, and flying out to the fake human village before her one-hundred and eighteenth birthday.

Oh, and of _course_ she still clearly remembered meeting Johnny - after all, he'd smacked into her and caused her to fall to the floor in the lobby in pain. But the zing...that feeling was a feeling one never forgot, and as she got older she looked back on it fondly.

The vampire remembered their travels together, their trips to Hawee-wee and other countries around the world. His proposal on the rooftop of a hotel in Italy had also been a highlight of the early years of their relationship - to her, nothing could have been more romantic than him proposing as they looked out over the city and the river.

Mavis remembered the trip to America to see his family too, when they had to tell them that Johnny was going to be changed shortly before their wedding. Some of them (his brothers for the most part and father) had taken it extraordinarily well - his mother and remaining brothers had not. But it had all worked out in the end: all of his family had turned up to the wedding, and before they all aged and passed they were fond of visiting the hotel for the odd visit or two.

And of course there were their children: Mavis smiled to herself contently as she remembered the absolute panic she had felt at finding out that the birth control she and Johnny had been using wasn't as entirely effective as they believed, at how much she knew everything would change. But Johnny, wise as ever, had persuaded her that this was a rather good thing - and he'd been right. She wouldn't have given their children up for anything, not even for the hotel, and definitely not for all of the gold in the world.

Suddenly, hands appeared on her stomach. Mavis' eyes flew open and she saw Serena standing over her; the witch's eyes had become unfocused and glazed over, as if not in the mortal world anymore, and she was muttering faster than ever. When she finished talking about half a minute later, she closed her eyes and focused all of her energy onto where her hands had been placed onto the vampire's stomach.

Mavis suddenly felt a rather tingly feeling in her stomach, rather like nervous butterflies, and she felt light and free. Whether this was a normal side effect of this, she didn't know. She let out a gasp as she felt something surge in her stomach - a soul? What was it? - and struggled to keep her nerves at bay.

One thought remained in her mind, however: even if this didn't work entirely, she still had to explain to Johnny what she had done. And that, she knew, would be the most difficult part of the entire ordeal.

* * *

Freddie was rather surprised when, later that evening, the fly from the Council buzzed down to him and announced that he was finished.

"A-Already?" Freddie asked in disbelief, eyes wide. "But the letter said it'd take a week..."

"I've seen all that I need to," The fly said shortly, shuffling his belongings in his arms.

Although very relieved, he was also very worried. "So...so when will I hear...you know, how it went? Will I get a letter or something?"

The other monster gave a small nod. "It should arrive within the next few days; first I have to relay my observations back to my colleagues and see what they make of it. Eventually our Council will make a final decision together and we shall then send you word as soon as we can."

Freddie could only watch in shock as the fly flew away to the front desk in the lobby; it was over...and it was over sooner than he had anticipated. While he was, of course, extremely pleased that he was no longer being watched, he couldn't help but feel slightly off about it: maybe something had happened or someone had said something that made the Council member make up his mind...whether for better or for worse...

 _Stop it,_ he scolded himself lightly: there was nothing he could do about it now. In fact, the best he could do was spend time with two certain vampire girls until he got word of the report.

Grinning to himself, Freddie morphed into his bat form and took off to find Mina and Lucy - an innocent game of bat-tag outside in the cool air sounded like a pretty fun way to relax.

* * *

Something was up with Mavis.

Okay, so the only proof that Johnny had to go on was the fact that she suddenly seemed more reserved and secretive around him - he wondered whether that was to do with them having sex again, whether it had been too soon or something. Personally, being with her and loving her had helped him somewhat: it made him feel less alone in the ordeal, like there was still hope out there.

But, as much as he hated to admit it, he had no idea what Mavis was feeling - and, being truthful, he was scared. _Terrified_. Why? Well, for one thing, he loved her and it had hurt him to see her in such pain over the past week or so. He wished he could have done something - anything - to make her happy, but in the end it was clear what Mavis wanted.

There had been times, admittedly, when he'd wished he could bring his parents and brothers back; that he could have brought nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles back... But he couldn't. It wasn't possible. Of course Johnny wished there was a way to bring their lost child back, but it was impossible: and the thought of having another child so soon after losing this one seemed wrong.

Since he couldn't read minds, there was only one option for it.

"Mavy, come on," Johnny pestered softly. She just looked up at him, her face void of all emotions. "Something's wrong. Can you at least tell me?"

"Nothing's wrong," Mavis denied. To Johnny, it was monotonous, like she'd been saying the same thing forever - in all fairness, she'd been saying it non-stop for the past week. "I..."

She stopped talking, suddenly looking tearful and worried. "What is it?" He asked immediately, sitting up on his haunches. "Come on, Mavy - you can tell me."

Mavis shook her head, mortified that she'd let her emotions slip. "No. Forget it. I...I'm just tired-"

He cut her off by putting a hand on her shoulder and giving her a pleading look. "Mavis, I really love you," He said slowly. "And I just want to see you happy - I don't want to see you so sad and...well, like you're keeping a secret." He took one of her hands in his and took a deep breath. "Please, Mavis. I just want to know what's making you so unhappy."

That did the trick: Mavis' shoulders slumped and she gave a tiny nod. "Okay, fine." She took a deep breath too and looked up at him with hope and anxiousness in her eyes. "I...uhmm... That night, when we...you know...well, you said that you didn't want it to be because of...of having a baby, right?"

"Yeah..."

"But the thing is," She continued shakily. "We weren't very...erm... _careful._ " Johnny's eyes widened as he took in what she was saying. "I-I really didn't want this to happen, I really didn't, and I feel guilty because of it."

Johnny stared at his wife, utterly shocked. "Hang on a sec, Mavy: are you saying that you're-"

"Yes," She admitted reluctantly, putting a hand on her stomach. "I know that it's...it's too soon, and I've been so freaked out by it because I don't f-f-feel ready... I'm so sorry, Johnny. I understand if you're angry-"

"I'm not angry," Johnny disagreed immediately. "Mavis, it's not your fault. Heh, I guess we were too caught up to think properly, right?" Mavis gave him a rather guilty nod. "Another baby...you're right. It does seem kinda too soon, but maybe it's a sign. You know, maybe good things are gonna happen now."

Mavis seemed surprised - maybe even shocked - by his reaction. It was clear she'd been expecting him to flare up or something. "So...so you're not angry with me?"

"Of course not!" He stated, giving her a small grin; it felt good to grin again after so long, although it was rather tired-looking and weak at the same time. "Gosh, how many times do I have to tell you that I _love_ kids; I grew up with a huge family, and-"

"And you like having a huge family now," She finished lightly. "So you keep telling me."

Johnny put a hand over hers and squeezed it tightly for comfort. "Mavy, don't worry about it. Okay, sure, it's not really the greatest thing having a baby after...well, you know. But this is _great_ news!" His smile slipped as he became more serious. "Look, I know it's not going to replace the one we lost. Nothing we do could replace them."

Mavis looked away from his eyes, stomach heavy.

"But this is great - I mean, if it's God and all that in charge of everything, they've given us this baby. It's great!"

As the day broke, the two of them fell asleep in each other's arms after celebrating the news. However, only one of them fell asleep with a smile on their face - the other fell asleep with guilt in the pit of their stomach and worried frown creasing her features.


	23. Chapter 23

Much to several guests amazement, both Mavis and Johnny were downstairs early the following night in the dining hall, eating breakfast and talking normally. None of the guests, however, were quite as amazed as Lucy, Jack and Mina were.

"So, what's been going on?" Johnny asked through a mouthful of cereal.

The kids just stared at their parents, not quite sure what to say. Finally, Lucy (being the eldest) broke the silence. "Uhmm...well...we've just been, you know, hanging around and stuff..."

"Lucy got a boyf-"

Jack hurriedly placed his hand on Mina's mouth and gave her a disapproving look. "Yeah, Lucy made a friend for once. He's not a bad guy, actually; he's...cool, I guess."

Mina sent him a dirty look, not too pleased that he had interrupted her. "Hmm. Well, Freddie had to stop working because of some meanie - but he'll be back soon, I know it! Plus, he played with me a lot more 'cause he didn't have to work, and-"

"Okay," Lucy blurted, and everyone's eyes turned on her. "Enough crap. What's going on? Is everything okay?"

While her siblings both nodded in agreement, Johnny gave her a rather weak smile. "Yeah, of course!"

"But we haven't seen you in forever!" Mina disagreed, pouting up at him. "I mean, we know why and stuff... But now you just want to hang out with us and stuff...like you're not sad at all."

Jack shushed her gently but nodded. "I have to admit, it's kinda...odd, considering everything that's been going on lately."

Mavis and Johnny gave each other looks, unsure what to say. Finally, Johnny gave in and broke the awkward silence that had fallen over them. "Well... I guess that sooner's better than later..."

None of the children thought that this sounded particularly encouraging but listened eagerly anyway.

"So...err... We know it's kinda sudden," The red-head stumbled, mumbling his words slightly. "And of course we're still real sad about...you know. But we're kinda happy now too...I mean, we have a pretty good reason." He took a deep breath. "Turns out, you're getting a new baby brother or sister soon."

Mina immediately let out a cry of delight and leapt out of her chair so that she could attack her parents with hugs. "Wow! That's so cool! Will it be a boy or a girl? Oh! Oh! Can I play with them! Will I have to share my room?"

Lucy and Jack, however, were not as little or young as Mina was - they looked at each other, thinking the same thing silently. Neither of them particularly wanted to be the one to ruin this moment of happiness, considering how rare they were becoming lately, but they knew deep down it had to be done - for his own good.

The two of them waited until their family had finished breakfast and there were hardly any guests to overhear their conversations - only a few old and death monsters, luckily, were still trying to leave. Mavis remained utterly silent throughout the meal; in fact, Lucy and Jack both thought that her smile looked rather forced, clearly not as elated as their father was.

If they were correct - which they were, of course - then they could sort of understand why she might have been like that a little.

"Dad?" Lucy asked hurriedly as they stood up to leave. "Could Jack and I talk to you for a minute?"

"Like right now," Jack added.

Johnny shrugged and followed them to a slightly less busy area of the dining hall so that neither Mavis nor Mina would overhear them. "So? What's up, guys?"

The two teen-aged vampires eyed each other, waiting for the other to take the plunge and start to tell him.

"Well," Jack started lightly. "We were just...wondering...about the baby..."

"Yes, as in: how the heck could you guys possibly know that Mom is pregnant?" Lucy cut in blankly, trying to wince at how blunt she had been. "For a start, Mom was pregnant with the other baby only last week, Dad."

When Johnny just blinked, Jack stepped in again, slightly more in control. "I've read about pregnancies, Dad, and this doesn't add up; it takes a minimum of about six weeks after conception to find out about having a baby."

"Yes. How would Mom be able to know before telling you?" The oldest asked, frowning slightly in confusion.

Johnny opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out: he suddenly realized, with a lurch, that his kids had a point... As far as he could recall, the only time where he and Mavis could have possibly...made a baby...would have been a couple of nights ago... She wouldn't have known yet, and somehow she had seemed so sure when she'd told him.

"You know," Jack thought aloud, eyes wide. "I read that it _is_ possible to know so early..."

Johnny felt hope ignite itself in his chest: maybe the kids were wrong, maybe everything was okay-

"But it's very powerful and advanced magic," His son finished thoughtfully. "Only powerful witches and warlocks have been able to do those kind of spells...in fact, the ones who can do it nowadays are often descendants of dark figures in history..."

And just like that the hope died away, leaving nothing but dread in his stomach.

Something told him that a conversation with his wife was desperately needed.

* * *

_I can't do this anymore._

The guilt was eating Mavis up inside; first of all, she had betrayed her own husband's trust by taking advantage of him and making herself pregnant. And she was going to have to tell him at some point the truth behind who the baby was...and what would he do then? Knowing Johnny, he wouldn't believe it to be right: this embryo - the baby inside of her - was going to have a soul and mind of its own, unique to any other creation out there. By trading souls, it was throwing away that chance of differentiation, of being who they were meant to be.

 _He's going to be so angry_ , A voice in her head whispered.

 _He'll be disgusted,_ A second one said, slightly louder than the first.

 _This is wrong...what you've done is wrong!_ The third one cried quietly.

_YOU are wrong._

_He'll LEAVE after he finds out._

And then there was the loudest one. _WRONG! DISGUSTING! AGAINST NATURE!_ It pounded angrily, determined to drive her crazy.

At this rate, she _was_ going to go crazy.

Mavis tried to think of a solution - a way to reverse everything, a way to just make everything perfect without any repercussions. However, there were no such solutions available for her to use: she couldn't throw away this baby's life, not after the pain of already feeling one die. She couldn't re-trade the souls either: part of her said that this was because it was wrong to throw away the original soul that the baby was going to have...another part screamed that she couldn't just lose the chance of meeting the baby she had lost, not now when she was so close!

She couldn't let anyone find out; not Johnny, not her father, not _anyone_. If that meant closing herself off from the rest of the world, then so be it.

 _No one_ could know of what she had done.

* * *

It wasn't often that one got time to themselves while staying in the hotel, what with the popularity in the monster world it received, and free time was also rare when you were an employee at said hotel who usually had to work all night.

Because Freddie didn't yet know the results of the report and therefore couldn't be reinstated without the Council's approval, this meant that he had more than enough time to spend with his girlfriend.

"Everything's been getting crazy lately," Lucy sighed, resting her head on his chest and closing her eyes. "I mean, for a start Mom's pregnant _again_...I just don't get how it works, what with the timing... And then there's you and your report..." She paused, opening her eyes and looking up at him. "I take it you haven't heard anything recently?"

"No," Freddie said, shaking his head. "I kinda wish they'd hurry up a little, though; I actually kinda miss working."

Lucy gave him a rather mischievous grin. "Because you get to serve me at breakfast and talk to me without having to come up with a plausible excuse, right?"

"Well, that's a given," He agreed, laughing to himself. "But I guess I just miss _working_ : I miss helping people out, even if it's just giving them food or drinks. Working here actually makes me feel important, you know? Like I'm actually doing something useful for others...even if I'm only being a waiter."

"Oh, trust me," The red-haired girl snorted. "I've seen some of the guests try to do things without a waiter - let's put it this way, some of them struggled quite a lot trying to get food... It was actually kind of amusing, watching them scratch their heads and frown."

As they laughed together, Freddie couldn't stop himself from stooping down to kiss the top of her head affectionately. When she just looked at him, slightly bemused, he gave her a nervous grin. "I...uhh...I just...I just really love you."

Lucy gave a large, pleased smile. "The feeling's mutual," She murmured, leaning in and initiating another kiss.

Okay, so maybe kissing wasn't exactly the most sensible thing to do, given the allegations against him, but...but dammit! He couldn't help himself! Whenever he was around her he felt...well, loved. He felt like he wasn't just some dumb vampire who couldn't do anything without tripping over; she made him feel useful and like he had a purpose.

When they pulled away, swaying slightly on the spot from lack of air, they heard someone clap slowly from behind them.

Freddie and Lucy both spun around, terrified at being caught, and saw who had come outside into the forest and seen them.

"Damien?!" Lucy questioned, narrowing her eyes at him and pulling away from her boyfriend. "What the hell do _you_ want?"

Damien gave a chuckle. "Not very friendly, Princess, not very friendly."

"And why the heck should I be friendly to you of all people?!"

"Well, I just thought that with your Grandpa's precious hotel on the line, you'd be a little more...welcoming." The vampire girl fell silent, utterly astounded. The blonde vampire looked between the two red-heads with a smirk and raised eyebrow. "Haha...it seems I was right, waiter: you _are_ head-over-heels for her."

Freddie just glared at Damien with hatred, willing to do rather nasty things to the other male if things went a certain way.

"This is just great," He continued, laughing to himself. "Imagine if I'd told my step-father the wrong thing - he wouldn't have been too impressed, would he?"

Lucy let out a gasp, mouth falling open in an "O" shape. "What are you talking ab-"

"Something had to be done," Damien stated, clearly enjoying himself. "I mean, look at the bumbling fool: he doesn't even know when to turn up for work on time...then again, he _is_ only a _waiter_." He gave a mock-sigh, smirk still plastered across his face. "And then I just _had_ to mention about that little incident in the forest; I knew it would interest the council greatly. But then..." He gave a chuckle. "I noticed his relationship with a certain child...your sister, am I right?"

"He never did anything to Mina!" Lucy snapped protectively, eyes glowing slightly. " _You_...YOU told them, you little worm!"

Damien nodded, looking quite pleased with himself. "Of course, I've now noticed you two. Say, waiter," He turned to Freddie. "Aren't you more than a hundred and eighteen?"

Freddie said nothing.

"And, clearly, _she_ is much younger-"

"Alright!" The red-head snarled, finally snapping out of his silence. "So we're dating - it's not a crime to fall in love, you know!"

"Yes, but it is a crime to take advantage of monsters under the age of a hundred and eighteen," The blonde retorted, and Freddie felt sick when he realized this was technically correct. "I, personally, don't see why the hotel princess would even encourage these fantasies...but then again, I suppose you two are equally matched, seeing how she's a frigid bitch."

Suddenly, Freddie had moved so that he was no longer at Lucy's side but towering over the teenaged vampire boy, looking quite murderous.

Damien just snorted. "What are you going to do, waiter? Hit me?"

And that's what Freddie did. Much to Lucy's horror, she watched as her boyfriend swung at the other vampire, connecting with his nose and causing a cracking noise to sound.

"Don't!" She pleaded helplessly. "Freddie-"

"Yeah!" Damien breathed viciously. "You listen to your little bitch-!"

He was cut off by another punch to the stomach, winding him completely so that he fell to the floor in pain.

It was like something out of a nightmare; Lucy could only watch in fascinated horror as Freddie proceeded to hit at Damien in random places, not in control of his anger and actions. It didn't take too long until Damien was fighting back, though; the teenage boy reared and sunk his fangs into the red-head's fist, causing his opponent to let out a yell of pain.

"STOP!" She shrieked, running forwards and shoving them away from each other. "Stop it, PLEASE!"

Freddie's features softened as he looked at her, clearly willing to do so. Damien, however, was not so - Lucy didn't even realize until she felt a pair of hands shove her forwards so that she collided with her boyfriend and into his arms.

"You're lucky, waiter boy!" Damien growled, voice laced with poison and hatred. "Your little girlfriend got you out of trouble now...but next time, you won't be so lucky!" With that he stormed away, seething and making noises akin to that of a wild animal.

Freddie stared into the trees where he had disappeared, eyes glazed over and lost.

"Freddie?" Lucy murmured, and he looked down at her. "Please don't do anything stupid."

"But he-"

"I know," She agreed, feeling tears form in her eyes. "But please...just ignore him. I-If he tells someone...your job..." Freddie just nodded wordlessly, holding her tighter against him and wincing as the injury in his hand healed itself together.

Something told him that this was not the last time they would see Damien.


	24. Chapter 24

There was nothing duller than having to do paperwork - especially for Count Dracula, whose mind was stuck far away from the dull bills and messages he had to look over for once. He couldn't help it...

Ava had checked out that morning, and this could only mean one thing; she had finished her review and was sending it off to her fellow members on the Council to make a final decision. Worry filled him, making him feel stressed; it had been a rather stressful time lately anyway, what with everything going on...he hadn't slept in what felt like forever and he was just _worried_ about everything-

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._ He lifted his head, alert and ready.

"Grandpa! Grandpa! It's me!"

 _Ah, Mina_. "Coming, baby-bat!" Dracula called, putting down his pen and hurriedly shuffling his papers together so that they weren't spread across his desk. He also made sure to straighten his clothes out and push back his hair so that it was no longer in his face; he hadn't been so neat and tidy as of recently.

When the count opened the door, his granddaughter was stood there, bouncing on the balls of her feet excitedly and beaming in excitement. "Grandpa!"

Dracula gave a tired laugh and bent down to give her a hug. "Good evening to you too, baby. Did you sleep well?"

"Uh-huh," Mina agreed, nodding her head into his shoulder. "But I have so much to tell you! Come on!"

Before he could protest, she had grabbed onto his hand and started to pull him with surprising strength back into his office. Dracula managed to shut the door behind them and allowed Mina to push him down to sit in his office chair. "Okay..." He said slowly, quite confused. "What is it?"

Mina beamed at him, clearly ready to burst. " _Well_ , first of all I _finally_ figured out how to do that backwards swoop when flying - I didn't even collide with anyone or the wall!"

"Well done!" Dracula laughed, but she shook her head.

"I'm not done!" She said quickly, bouncing up and down on the spot once again; the older vampire simply sat back and nodded for her to continue. "Okay, so...you know how Mommy and Daddy were all sad and stuff, because of what happened to the baby?" Dracula's smile slipped but he gave a small nod. "Well, they're okay now!"

The Count raised an eyebrow sceptically. "They're 'okay'?"

Mina nodded, grinning wildly. "Yeah; it's 'cause they're having another baby now!"

At first, Dracula was confused: for a start, it had only been a week or two since the tragedy and it seemed somewhat odd to him that Johnny and Mavis would even consider another child so soon...after all, he had believed them to be more sensible than that.

But then something occurred to him; just like his grandson, he was intelligent and sharp. If another baby _was_ on the way, then it would certainly be impossible to tell at that present time... So, in theory, they were either lying or...no, but that couldn't be...

"Grandpa? You've gone all quiet."

Dracula snapped out of it and gave Mina a small smile. "Yes, yes. Sorry, baby-bat. I was just thinking-"

"Are you happy for them?" Mina asked excitedly, eyes wide and bright. "I'm gonna be a big sister now! I've never been a big sister - I've always been the little one, the baby...but now I won't be!"

Oh God, he couldn't voice his concerns in front of her: for one thing, she was far too young - besides, she was so happy and excited by the news that he couldn't find it in himself to ruin her good mood. No, he wouldn't have this conversation with her.

His Mavis, however, had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

Jack, as he always did when something bothered him, did the only thing he knew what to in a time of trouble and distress: he retreated to the hotel library to do research on that particular issue.

Unfortunately for him, the hotel library was filled with many books on the different types of monsters - after all, there _were_ endless amounts of types - and found that the only way he'd find anything out would be if he just down and tried to struggle his way through about fifteen volumes of Monster Encyclopaedias.

Twelve hours after he'd started his mission to find something useful, he was no closer to figuring out what could have caused his mother to realize she was pregnant so quickly - all he knew was that only a being who had learnt some kind of dark and mysterious magic would be able to perform such a spell or test.

So far, he had figured out one thing: someone was helping his Mom with this.

Jack was not an idiot, so he could easily guess why his mother would think becoming pregnant so soon after would be a remotely good idea. He still felt rather embarrassed that for a baby to be conceived in the first place his parents had...done certain things, but since he could already establish that certain information he still needed to find out about who was helping his Mom with this.

He yawned and turned a page in the book - this one was only the fourth one he'd come across, and he resolved that once he finished this one he'd go to bed for a well-deserved nap. He skim-read the page, this one about witches, looking out for certain words that might help him.

_Let's see...no, "horns" aren't relevant...neither are "brooms" or "electricity"..._

And then certain words caught his eye: _magic so dark_ and _pregnancy_.

Jack hurriedly started at the beginning of that paragraph, suddenly more awake than he had been seconds earlier: he just hoped that he was onto something here...

_Through time, witches have mainly been associated as well-meaning and positive for monster communities - however, as with all monster species, there are some witches who do dabble in magic so dark that it leaves a stain on their very souls. For example, these witches are known to offer other monsters the solution to the thing that they want the most, including pregnancy and bringing back dead relatives that have passed. It has been recently discovered that this is possible because of these witches connections with dark magic; dark magic relates to things such as life and death because of the serious subject matter that normal monsters wouldn't even consider playing with._

"Holy crap," Jack muttered, eyes wide at what he had just read. He continued reading, only to discover that the book said no more on these witches. Shutting the book, the vampire stared at his lap, thinking hard about what he could do.

_I need to tell Mom and Dad._

* * *

No...this was not right.

Mavis wiped at her eyes and pulled a jumper on; she _had_ to check this out, whatever was happening...she'd been pregnant three times, this was _not_ normal...

She was getting a bigger stomach already; it was bloated and starting to swell up, almost as if she'd been pregnant for months and months. It wasn't meant to be so big yet! The baby had only been conceived a few days ago!

 _I should have known!_ The vampire scolded herself as she hurried down the corridors and up some stairs - she needed to find the witch and _fast_. _This is tricky magic and a tricky thing to play around with! What the heck was I thinking? I should have just left things..._

But temptation, as it always will be, was strong and irresistible - and it takes advantage of those who are at their weakest points, when they are most desperate and not thinking probably. Mavis knew she'd fallen victim to it now, and wished there was some way to turn back time to stop herself from making such a stupid decision.

Serena's room was right on the top floor of the hotel (apparently it appealed more to her because it was more secluded and she could communicate with the dead up there), and once Mavis arrived there she wasted no time in knocking frantically.

"Hello?" She called through the door. "Serena? I...I have a question I _really_ need to ask you!"

There was a couple of seconds of silence, and she dreaded that the witch had gone downstairs...

"Are you alone?" A hoarse voice asked, almost completely inaudible.

Mavis took a deep breath. "Yes. It's about the baby."

The door opened, and the vampire looked at the witch - Serena looked completely _awful_. Her skin had gone an unattractive shade of grey and looked strangely sunken; her hair was also a lot less frizzy, as if it had depleted for no reason, and the orange colour dulled to a colour similar to that of a peach.

"Come in," Serena murmured hoarsely, ignoring the stares she was getting. Once the vampire had gone inside, she slammed the door shut and turned to her. "What is wrong?"

Mavis raised an eyebrow and gestured to her swollen stomach. "What's wrong? This! Why is it so big! This is in no way bloating or anything - it's the baby getting bigger!"

"I know."

"You...You know?" Mavis questioned, mouth falling open. "Great, so... Tell me what the heck is going on!"

Serena gave a small laugh. "I must have forgotten to tell you on the day... Well, my dear, to help speed the process up I cast a spell to cause the baby to grow much faster than usual."

"Are...Are you kidding me?!" Mavis shrieked, completely shocked by such a thing. "You cast a SPELL on me without actually _telling_ me first?"

The witch shrugged. "You seemed so desperate."

"Not desperate enough for THIS!" The vampire started to pace, severely worried now. "So...so how long do I have? A few months?"

"I'd say another week or so," Serena answered calmly.

Mavis stopped pacing, head pounding from all of the information. "A...A _week_? S-So I'm going to be nine months pregnant...in a _week_?" She bit her lip, tears starting to cloud her vision. "How the hell am I meant to tell Johnny? I mean, he probably already suspects something...if he doesn't, then the kids do..." She looked up at the witch desperately. "This isn't what I want!"

"Too late," Serena rasped, a smile on her face. "What is done cannot be reversed. This is what you wanted - and now you'll have it."

With a pang, the vampire realized that she was right; and now she knew what a terrible thing she had done. "And...there's nothing I can do _at all_."

"No," The witch agreed slowly, shaking her head. "Now, on another topic: I've been meaning to talk to you for a couple of days now...you see, we need to discuss payment."

Mavis froze, utterly astounded. "You want me to _pay_ you?"

"Well, I wasn't doing it for free," Serena laughed. "But I don't want money. I want something a lot more valuable than that." She pointed to her face, where her skin was drooping and she looked older than ever. "You see, I'm a special kind of witch; when I was training, I was taught by my parents to embrace the darker side of magic, to see how the darkness could be beautiful. However, I soon realized that these skills that I obtained came with a price: using these powers caused life to drain out of me, leading me to look like I am now because of what I have done to you."

The vampire put her hands on her stomach sub-consciously, terrified of what was to come.

"To regain this, my customers have to pay me with part of their own lives - they have to give some of their life span to me. Now, while I certainly don't mind a chunk of a human's years, I do prefer the ones that we monsters have since they last longer."

"You...you want me to give you part of my life?" Mavis asked quietly, horrified by the idea.

Serena smirked. "Indeed."

No, this was going way too far. She'd been stupid before, but this was an even dumber decision - and she was not falling for it. Mavis knew that she had so much of her life to live - and good reason to live it too: to see her children grow up into adults, to grow old with Johnny peacefully, to maybe see grandchildren before passing on. She was _not_ giving up any of that for anything.

"No," Mavis growled, causing the witch to frown. "I'm not giving it to you. You can have as much money as you want...you can have anything. But not _that_."

"That is the only payment that I accept," The witch said quietly - too quietly - before pausing for a moment to think. "Fine. You have two options: you can either give me part of your life span..."

_Yeah, not happening._

"Or I can take it from someone you love," Serena finished, voice a deadly hiss. "Your choice."

Mavis' eyes widened, not knowing what to do - what _could_ she do? There was no way out of this without an early death occurring along the way; she couldn't put someone's life in danger like that, not to someone she loved...but, dammit, she couldn't give up her own life just for this!

"I expect payment when the baby is born," The witch told her coldly, opening the door so that the vampire could leave. "And if you refuse to hand over part of _your_ life, then I shall take someone else's."

Ah hell.

* * *

Lucy was just planning on going to bed that morning, tired out by the long nights that seemed to be occurring nowadays. She had put Mina to sleep ten minutes earlier, and now she was free to go and catch up on her own sleep.

However, just as she reached the door to her hotel room, she heard someone zoom behind her; jumping slightly by how sudden it had been, she spun around to face whoever had appeared behind her. Much to her relief, Lucy saw none other than Freddie standing there and her heart swelled.

But then she saw the envelope clutched in his hand.

"Is that-?"

Freddie nodded, looking absolutely terrified. "I...I don't wanna open it alone, just in case it...it's bad or something. Could you, you know-"

"We'll open it together," Lucy promised, quickly opening the door to her room. "Come on."


	25. Chapter 25

The envelope sat on the bed between the two vampires, so small but at the same time holding such power - neither of them really wanted to open it, fearful of what would happen afterwards...whether things were going to stay the same or become more difficult for them.

Finally, Lucy cleared her throat nervously. "Well, it's addressed to you so I guess you should be the one to open it."

Freddie gave a small nod, looking paler than usual. "R-Right. Umm...I'll just..."

He picked the envelope up, turning it over in his hands; after a few seconds of staring at it anxiously he started to open the seal so that he could get to the letter inside of it. Lucy held her breath, mentally crossing her fingers that everything was going to be okay...that nothing bad was going to happen...

Freddie opened the sheet of paper inside and started to read it silently. His girlfriend just watched him, looking for any signs of good or bad news - this, however, was made quite impossible by the fact that he had the sheet so close to his face that she couldn't see his expression at all. "So?" She questioned, unable to take it. "What's going to happen now?"

Slowly, Freddie lowered the paper; his eyes were glazed over, utterly stunned as he tried to focus on the other red head. His expression was _still_ unreadable though.

"What?" The teenaged vampire asked worriedly. "Come on, I'm freaking out here!"

Freddie looked at her, voice hoarse. "I'm...I'm off the hook."

Lucy let out a surprised shriek and leapt at him to tackle him into a hug. "I knew it, I just knew it!" And suddenly she was pressing her lips against his, something to say congratulations, and for Freddie it was nothing short of pure heaven.

_I'm free. I'm going to stay here..._

It was almost _too_ perfect - something was going to have to go wrong soon, he was sure of it.

* * *

And to think...the nightmare on the other side of the hotel was just heating up.

"Johnny," Mavis said desperately, shutting her room door behind her. "We really need to talk-"

"Yeah, you think?" Johnny snapped uncharacteristically from where he was sat on the bed, arms folded. Mavis halted at the cold look he was giving her. "Fine, let's talk, Mavy. For one thing, how the heck can you know you're pregnant yet?!"

Mavis bit her lip. "That's kinda what we need to talk about."

"Well, I'm all ears," The red-head said, leaning back and looking at his wife expectantly. "'Cause I have no idea about what's been happening lately."

The other vampire sat down opposite him, keeping her distance in case he didn't really want her particularly near, and looked down at her lap guiltily. "I...I'm so, _so_ sorry... A-And if you hate me after this then I completely understand."

Although he was angry, he also looked quite shocked by that last statement.

"There's a witch," Mavis breathed shakily, hands on her stomach protectively. "She came to me in the lobby, a-and she _knew_ about what had happened. I have no idea how, but she could just tell... And then she told me that...that she'd be able to help..." She gave a sniff, unable to look at her husband. "She told me that she'd bring the baby back, a-and I trusted her."

Johnny stared at her, eyes wide in shock at what he had heard. "So...that's why you... you and I, we..."

"I'm so sorry," Mavis choked out, looking truly depressed about the matter. "I didn't mean to...to.."

"To use me," The red-head finished, tears appearing in his eyes. "So we had sex just so that you could...you could... GAH! So that you could mess about with this kind of stuff!" He pushed himself off of the bed, looking at her sadly. "And to think, I actually thought we were getting better; that we were just...just..."

"Johnny-"

"That we were just finding comfort, you know?!" He continued angrily, though it was obvious he was mainly upset. "I thought that you and I...that we were doing it so that we could _connect_ , so that we could try to move on. But, no: it was to bring back something dead."

The dark-haired vampire also stood up, looking at him fiercely. "Oh, like you wouldn't have done the same!"

"I wouldn't have," Johnny insisted harshly. "Mavis, things _die_. It happens, it's a natural thing! And, no, that baby dying wasn't _right_ a-and it was messed up - but bringing back the dead is...it's _wrong_! When something is dead, it's meant to stay dead!"

"I KNOW!" Mavis yelled, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I know that now, and I wish I'd never done it! Do you not know how _awful_ I feel about the whole thing - that I went behind you back... But I couldn't help it! I was _depressed_ and I just couldn't cope with what had happened!"

Her husband just stared at her, unable to understand it. "Mavy, you don't think _I_ was depressed by it?! That I was all happy and rainbows and stuff?! No! But I knew that there was nothing we could do - I let it all go!"

"But there _was_ something!" She exclaimed. "And I did it, okay? Yes, I was stupid for doing it...b-but I can't do this on my own."

"Do what?"

Slowly, Mavis put her hands on her stomach, and it was only then that Johnny seemed to realize how big it had gotten; his eyes got wider, shocked and surprised. "That witch cast a spell on me - without telling me - and now...and now we only have a week."

" _A week?_ " Johnny whispered in disbelief.

She nodded. "There's something else too. She...she wants me to pay her for it - b-but it's not like money or anything..." She took a deep breath. "She wants me to...to give up some of my life span."

Johnny could only stare at her in disbelief. "But...But you won't, right? I mean...that's..."

"It's either mine or someone else's," Mavis stated tearfully, suddenly looking much weaker than Johnny had ever seen her. "Johnny, what if that someone else is one of the guests? My dad? Or one of the kids?!...Or _you_?! I-I can't let her do that."

Johnny watched his wife for a moment, at a loss for words in that moment. She had a point; if he had been given that choice, he would have given up his own life for that of another's. But he couldn't watch Mavis do this - and as much as he was angry and upset by what she had done, he couldn't sit back and watch her deal with it all by herself.

After all, they were zings - they stuck together through thick and thin.

"I'm sorry," Mavis repeated, falling back onto the bed and burying her face in her arms to sob.

He was immediately by her side, wrapping his arms around her comfortingly and pressing kisses into her hair. "We'll figure something out... I dunno what or how, but we'll...we'll do it together."

* * *

The first thing the two agreed on, Mavis grudgingly, was to let Dracula in on the secret - after all, he _was_ older and more experienced than the two of them, so surely he'd be able to help them in some way.

Telling the kids, however, had not been in the plan.

"No," Mavis stated firmly when she saw Lucy and Jack sitting either side of Dracula - Mina, of course, had been deemed too young immediately. "Absolutely not."

Lucy frowned at her mother defiantly. "Mom," She said sternly. "I'm a hundred and four now! I can deal with listening and helping you guys, for goodness sake!"

"You're not a hundred and eighteen yet," Mavis retorted. "You're not an adult-"

"Near enough!"

Jack remained quiet, watching his sister and mother argue; he'd already told his grandfather what he knew, but he was unsure about admitting to his parents that he knew. He didn't need to, it turned out.

"Look, Mavis, Johnny, the two of them are old enough to understand whatever is going on," Dracula disagreed hesitantly, shooting the two teenaged monsters nervous looks. "Besides, from what I can gather, Jack has already managed to figure out some of it anyway."

His parents both turned to him, looking quite stunned. He shrugged, feeling quite embarrassed. "What? I..I was reading books in the library and I saw it."

It had taken about ten minutes for Mavis (and Johnny to some degree) to re-explain everything that had happened - and none of the other three vampires were all too impressed on hearing this information.

Dracula had merely fallen silent, looking between his daughter and son-in-law with a mixture of disappointment and worry; it was one thing to see his daughter grown up, but meddling with these kinds of things because of how sad she was?... It was too difficult to wrap his mind around.

"Oh, Mom," Lucy breathed, eyes wide and filled with tears. "Why?!"

Jack just looked between his parents, eyes also wide and skin paler than ever. "You do realize that you have to give her whatever she wants, right?" He asked quietly. "This witch knows dark magic and all of that kind of thing - it's possible for her to take what she wants forcefully."

"And what does she want?" The Count questioned suddenly, looking between Mavis and Jack fearfully for an answer.

There was a very pregnant pause in the room where mother and son just looked at each other, silently waiting for the other to say it - it wasn't an easy thing to comprehend, and therefore not easy to admit to.

"Life," Mavis said finally, voice hoarse. "She...She told me that she wants some of my life span. It's how she survives...the magic, it makes her look older or something..."

"Life," Dracula repeated quietly. "Oh, Mavy." He stood up and wrapped his arms around his daughter; for a moment, it was as if it were the old days - when she was little and innocent, when this kind of thing, all dark things, wouldn't have happened.

The dark haired vampire hugged back, feeling the exact same way. "I'm so sorry, Dad."

"What does she mean by life?!" Lucy questioned fearfully, also standing up and looking quite terrified. "A whole life? A few years?! What?!"

"She never said how much."

Lucy bit her lip, suddenly avoiding everyone's gazes. "Well...it's just that...if it's a couple of decades or something, then...maybe-"

"If the book I read is anything to go by," Jack muttered lowly. "The witch is going to want a couple of centuries, at the least." He sent his sister an apologetic look, clearly having figured out what she had been thinking. "Lu, it wouldn't work...you'd be _too_ old then..."

"Okay, what's going on?" Johnny asked suspiciously, looking between his two older kids. "Lu, why the heck would you want to be older? And, Jack, she'd be too old for what?"

And suddenly it wasn't just Johnny but also Mavis and Dracula looking at the two of them intently, clearly quite perplexed by their conversation. Jack sent his sister a clear look: this was her business, not his. He wouldn't say anything because it had nothing to do with him.

So it was all up to her.

Lucy swallowed thickly. "I...I zinged with someone."

"Wait, you _what_?!" Dracula blurted, mouth hanging open in shock. "But, Lucy, you are only young...how could you-"

"I know he's my zing," Lucy snapped fiercely, surprising the adults further. "It took me a while to figure out it was him...but now that I know it's him, I'm _never_ letting him go." She looked at her parents, a fire burning in her eyes. "Look, I know a lot about how you guys zinged - and it was similar to how you zinged, Grandpa, with Grandma. It..." She hesitated, voice suddenly a lot more tender. "There's a crash and then this...this jolt where you just look at each other and it's like seeing your entire life in one person - seeing that person for who they are and how much they mean to you."

Dracula and Johnny simply continued to stare at her; it was clear that they were both quite surprised by this revelation as well as being somewhat protective deep inside... Mavis let go of her father and sent her daughter a proud smile. "That's great, Lu."

Lucy gave them a small smile - but then it faded when she remembered what else had happened. "The thing is, he's a lot older than me. Uhm...twenty six years, to be exact. Hey, don't freak out!" She added hurriedly when Johnny frowned and opened his mouth to protest. "He works here at the hotel, and...and I know that it's not at all great at the minute, the fact that he's technically an adult and I'm not, but...but I thought..."

"That you'd be able to give up some of your life to become older," Dracula stated softly, eyes suddenly watery. "That's very sweet...but it wouldn't work, either way." The other four just sent him looks, clearly not sure what he meant by this statement. "From...from what I've heard of these kinds of witches, they take the life span off of-"

"Off of the end of a life," Jack finished quietly. "So...So she'd remain the same age but just live a shorter life?"

"Yes," Dracula sighed heavily. "And it wouldn't be a few decades, either - like you said, Jack, it would be a few centuries at the very least."

Lucy frowned at them. "How can she take off life from the _end_? I mean, there's no telling how long someone will live-"

"No, but we all have to go at some point," The count said sourly. "There's only so long we can go on living."

Mavis collapsed into a seat, suddenly pale and sickly-looking. "I can't let her do that to anyone," She murmured, shaking her head and stroking her stomach. "Not to any of you, or Mina or even any of the guests staying here."

"Well, she's not doing that to you," Johnny seethed protectively. "Mavy, we can figure this out. I mean, if we can't then... Then I'll let her take some of mine."

"No!" Mavis snapped tearfully, seemingly offended by the idea. "I did _not_ turn you just so that you could throw your life away, Johnny!"

"I can't let you do that either!" The red-head protested. "Mavis, I _love_ you and the kids...I mean, I even love Drac a little bit!"

Dracula blinked, not quite sure what to make of his statement. "Jeesh, thanks Johnny..."

The female dark-haired vampire watched her husband for a moment, eyes looking him over in a regretful way. "I started this," She stated quietly. "I told her and let her do this to me. I should have to pay for my mistake, not you."

Lucy's eyes were filled with tears, and it was obvious she was trying her best not to cry; Jack, meanwhile, had fallen into silence as he watched their parents argue over the ordeal. If only there were some other way... But he knew there wasn't. Dark Magic was tricky, and - from what he'd read - rarely had loop holes involved.

Johnny sat next to Mavis in another seat, looking at her pleadingly. "Look, I totally don't think what you've done is right, Mavis...But that's kind of it. Even when you're wrong, I just...I _have_ to keep you safe, you know? I mean, if anything happened to you, I'd just..." He trailed off, clearly at a loss for words for once.

"I don't want either of you to do it," Lucy muttered loudly, breaking into the conversation and looking between the two. "As I'm the oldest, it's my responsibility to look after you guys when things get rough...therefore, I should do it."

"No way!" Jack shouted, glaring at her in slight anger. "I'm the only boy, I'm the odd one out - I'll do it."

"Neither of you are doing it," Dracula interrupted sternly, knowing that his daughter and son-in-law couldn't intervene at that moment, what with the high emotions flowing in the room. "You are both under the age of a hundred and eighteen and therefore not responsible for your actions or decisions. No protests!" He added sharply when they just gaped at him and frowned. "Now, Mavy..." He turned to Mavis, expression softening somewhat as he bent down and took one of her hands in his. "I'm your father; it's my job to protect you..."

"Drac, no," Johnny muttered, horrified.

The count took a deep breath. "I'm not exactly young anymore - I have lived my life and I've loved every minute of it. But now...now I think it's time that I move on-"

"No!" Mavis choked out, shaking her head as if it would make him change his mind.

He continued anyway. "I'm not saying I would die immediately, of course: I would have maybe half a century left...maybe even a whole one if I'm lucky..."

"Dad-!"

"I will take the risk," Dracula stated firmly, although his voice trembled slightly. "And you cannot change my mind: I'm older than any of you, and I can therefore do what I want in this matter."

They all knew it: once Count Dracula made up his mind, there was no changing it.


	26. Chapter 26

Neither of the two older children were too pleased with the way in things were going: however, while one of them knew how to sit down and try to deal with things rationally, the other wasn't so calm or rational.

"We can't let Grandpa do this!" Lucy ranted, pacing the room quickly and getting angrier by the second. "This is...this is wrong! He shouldn't have to give up the end of his life just for-"

"Just for an innocent baby?" Jack interrupted coolly, staring ahead. "Lu, let's face it: it's totally something he would do, giving up his life for a baby... He thinks that the new baby's life is worth more than his own, and I have to say, I kind of agree."

Lucy glared at her brother. "How dare you?!" She snarled, enraged. "You're okay with our Grandpa dying?! That's sick, Jack!"

"Well, what else are we meant to do?" Jack questioned, staring at the red-head. "You know Grandpa as well as I do: once he makes his mind up, he won't change it. Besides, it's for a good cause-"

"Good cause my tail bone!"

Jack scrunched his eyes shut and clenched his fists. "Luce, it's for our baby brother or sister." Lucy stopped pacing, looking at her brother with wide eyes. Jack opened his own eyes and looked at her, chest heaving. "Imagine if...if this was one of us. Imagine if, by giving up most of his life, he could bring us back."

"That's different," She muttered. "We're...he actually knows us-"

"He knows the baby too, you know; that baby is going to have a personality, likes, dislikes...they're going to be unique." The middle child gave a heavy sigh. "They exist, and just because they're not with us yet it doesn't mean we shouldn't discount their feelings."

Lucy opened her mouth and closed it, clearly not able to come up with anything to argue that point.

"You offered to do it too!" He stated accusingly. "And so did I! And that's because this baby...this tiny kid...is going to be our brother or sister. As much as us three argue, we all love each other deep down and want the best for each other. Well, this is just like that, Lu."

The red-head gave a heavy sigh, sitting back on the bed with her brother. "I know, but it's just...Grandpa..."

"I don't want Grandpa to do this either," Jack continued sadly. "But - no matter how much we try - we'll never be able to stop him, Lu. He's stubborn, just like Mom is, and he won't change his mind now that it's made up."

"But...we can't just sit here," His sister complained quietly. "There has to be something - anything - that we could do."

Jack looked out of the window at the night sky, dread coiling up in his stomach. "I wish there was, Lu, but there isn't. I've read and read all the books I can find about this kind of thing, and they all state that there's nothing we can do to prevent it...well, nothing that is morally right."

"You mean we could kill her?" Lucy questioned in shock. "But that's..."

"Wrong," Jack finished, nodding his head stiffly. "I know, which is why we're back to square one and have no options. Also," He sent the other vampire a dark look. "We need to tell Mina what the heck's going on."

_Oh no._

* * *

Meanwhile, Count Dracula was in his room and currently pacing slowly. As he took steps forwards he cast his eyes to the decorations and pictures on the wall, feeling rather saddened with every one that he saw; paintings of he and Martha, of the two of them with their baby... Then there were the ones with their daughter growing up; every decade a new painting had been done to document her as she had grown over the years.

That was one of the things he was going to miss: seeing his family.

The other paintings showed chubby little babies that grew into adorable toddlers - and then into attractive children with either dark red hair or black hair that the vampire himself had...big blue eyes or curious brown eyes that seemed to peer into his very soul, even in paintings.

_No. I must not dwell. I have things I must attend to._

For years and years he had had his will written; since Martha had been killed, really. You could never be too careful as a monster, especially in the days he had grown up in. But now, two hundred years since he'd last edited it, it needed to be updated.

Taking a quill into his hand, Dracula started to write out his new will, describing what he wanted everyone to have once he had gone. Even if he was going to live another century, he needed to be prepared.

_To my darling, Mavis, I leave the hotel under her management. It is her job to protect the monsters of the world, and I know that she will do so perfectly. I also leave all of my paintings and my office to her, and I hope that she will enjoy both of these things as much as I have._

_For Johnny, he is to have my wedding ring: while he has already married, I know that he would like to have it as a reminder of the family he has married into - and as a reminder of me, as I now consider us good friends._

Dracula smiled to himself slightly; if you had told him a few centuries ago that one of his friends would be a human - or even an ex-human - then he would have proclaimed you mad and rushed you out of the hotel.

_I would like to leave my late wife's jewellery in my eldest granddaughter, Lucy's, possession: I know that she will take good care of them and enjoy using them as she grows up. I also leave her the dress that my wife wore to our wedding - I know she will look as beautiful as ever in it._

_For Jack, the entire hotel library - once I pass, it is his decision as to what to do with them and the library itself... I know though that he will want to leave the books where they are in the hopes that another keen mind will enjoy them as he has._

_Mina..._ Dracula swallowed thickly, not quite knowing what on Earth he could say.

_To Mina, I leave all of my late wife's clothes and her coffin: while she cannot fit into these things just yet, due to her young age, when she is older I know she will appreciate these gifts. Also, if her mother agrees, then she is to take over as assistant manager of Hotel Transylvania once she turns a hundred and eighteen._

And now there was one more person to consider - the real reason he was writing this will.

_Finally, for my newest grandchild I leave something very important: life. I hope that they grow up and feel thankful for this gift. They are also to have my bedroom and coffin to remind them of me and maybe help them connect to who I was while I am gone._

The count finally put the quill down, feeling rather saddened that he was having to write such a thing - but it was for the greater good, someone far more deserving to live a long life than himself.

It wasn't all bad, though: he'd be reunited with his darling Martha. The thought made him smile - he really did miss her. At least he could pass with the knowledge that his family would meet him in the spirit world one day, and then they'd all be together at last.

* * *

Mina didn't understand.

She didn't understand what her older siblings meant when they told her about the baby being born within the next week, considering even _she_ knew that it took nine months for a baby to arrive.

She didn't understand why they looked so sad and unsure all of a sudden, as if everything was hopeless.

She didn't understand why Freddie was squeezing her tightly around the shoulders with every passing minute into the conversation, looking completely stunned.

"So..." Her friend said at last, eyes wide. "There's nothing any of us can do?"

Jack shook his head. "No. We've tried convincing him otherwise, but he's got his mind set on it."

"You haven't seen the witch at all, have you?" Lucy asked worriedly, peering around the corridor as if the woman would appear at any minute. "Mom said that she has orange skin and blue hair...and I hardly think that she's going to leave before receiving payment."

"No," Freddie answered, voice tight. "I...I've never seen anyone like that in my life."

"I don't get it," Mina piped up, and the three older vampires looked down at her. "Why is Mommy having the baby so soon? What's up with Grandpa? And can someone _please_ tell me about why we're all sad?!"

Jack and Lucy looked at each other, not sure what to say, so it was Freddie who answered. "Well, you see Lil' bat...uhh...the baby from before... came back."

Mina frowned at him in disbelief. "The dead _can't_ come back. I'm little, not stupid!" She crossed her arms impatiently, looking up at them. "Now, tell me what's going on!"

"Mina, you wouldn't understand-" Lucy started.

"YES! I WOULD!" She yelled, pulling away from Freddie and glaring at the other monsters angrily. "I'm thirty one, I'm not a baby! I understand that the baby went to heaven, and that's why Mommy was bleeding! I know that the baby was dead, but now you're telling me that they're alive again? Because of a witch!? Why would she do that?"

The three just stared at her, quite shocked by her outburst.

"What is Grandpa going to do?" She questioned shakily, trembling slightly. "Tell me!"

Jack swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked at his little sister; she was no longer a baby, yet not quite as grown up as they were now - it was a difficult position. "Fine," He mumbled, causing his sister and Freddie to look at him with wide eyes. "Mina, for the baby to come back, Mommy had to do this...spell with a witch. Not like one of the witches here, but a different one... An evil one."

If he was going to tell her, what was the harm in making it a little fictitious?

"For the baby to come back, though, Grandpa is going to do something... He's being very brave, as he always is, and I think he would rather explain it to you himself." He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath; this wasn't exactly a lie - Dracula would be far better at this than him.

Mina gave a sigh but nodded. "Fine. When is the baby coming then?"

"Within the next week," Lucy muttered, scratching at the back of her neck - she was still so shocked by her sister's earlier reaction. "You know, I think Mom and Dad would enjoy having you help them decide on names."

The girl smiled slightly but immediately stuck her head up high in the air. "Well, of course: _I_ would choose a good name."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a suit of armour nearby coming to life, cluttering down the corridor noisily towards them and nearly tripping on the carpet. "Sirs! Madams! I have news!"

"News?" Lucy questioned immediately; she knew what to do in situations such as this. "And what news is this?"

The suit halted in front of them and stood up straight. "There is a disturbance near room seventy-four, on one of the higher floors." The suit looked around before leaning in closer, as if confessing a secret. "If I'm correct, it appears as if someone is delivering a child."

All of their mouths (except for Mina, who didn't quite understand) fell open in horror. "No!" Jack exclaimed, utterly shocked. "But...but I thought we had a week!"

" _Within_ a week," Lucy corrected, hand covering her mouth. "Oh, God...it's happening _now_."

"What?" Mina pestered, tapping on the suit's leg and pouting up at him. "What's happening?"

Freddie hurriedly picked his friend up and coughed. "Uhmm...I guess you two should...I mean, she's only... I don't think she..."

"Yes," Lucy agreed quickly, snapping into a leadership state. "Okay, Freddie, you and Mina go down to the kitchens and...do something. We - Jack and I - will come and get you once everything's calmed down."

"Lu, what if it's not Mom?" Jack muttered as Freddie rushed off with a wriggling and complaining Mina in his arms.

She gave her brother a grim look. "Jack, think about it: with our luck, _of course_ it's Mom."

* * *

Serena hummed as she pulled her bag up to the check-out desk; her skin was suddenly bright, her hair full of volume, and she looked centuries younger than she had in a long time.

"Could I check out?" She called to the zombie at the desk brightly, and he gave a slow nod. She dropped her room key on the desk and signed her name in the correct place while the zombie slowly moved to put the key away. "Hey, could you maybe send a note up to a room for me?"

The zombie shrugged, so she took this as a yes. Serena quickly scribbled out her note before leaving, the wind blowing through her hair as rain clouds formed above - an ominous sign for those whose lives she had effected.

* * *

Dracula was pacing once again - this time in the corridor outside of his daughter's room.

Every time he heard his daughter let out a yell of pain, he had to restrain himself. _She's done this before, relax._

But it hadn't been like _this_ ; before, she had been given months and months to prepare for the strain of childbirth...not mere days. Before it had all been natural, the way it should always be - now it was tainted with dark magic.

He heard the door open, and the vampire immediately swivelled to look at it: Johnny stood there, looking utterly terrified and exhausted. "Hey, Drac," He mumbled, shutting the door behind him and rubbing a hand down his face.

Dracula, impatient, took a step towards his son-in-law. "Yes, hello, Johnny: what is going on. How is she?"

"Mavis? She's..." Johnny swallowed. "I can't do this. She's in so much pain - more pain than before - a-and it's killing me to hear her scream like that." He gave a heavy sigh, ducking his head so that the other vampire wouldn't see just how saddened he was. "She yelled at me to get out - I didn't want to or anything, but then she kinda tried swiping at me..." He gestured to show his father-in-law. "So it's probably best to leave her for a while."

 _Don't panic_ , Dracula ordered himself, starting to pace again. _She has Wanda and Eunice helping her. She will be fine._

There was a groan, and the two male vampires turned to see who it was; a zombie was standing there, holding a small note in his hand and gawking at the two of them in a rather confused state.

"That is a note, yes?" The count asked patiently, and his employee nodded dumbly. "Okay then, thank you, I will take that now."

As the zombie handed it to the hotel manager before slowly turning around and making his way back up the corridor, Johnny could only wince at the sound of his wife's yells of exertion from inside the room...even after three times of doing it before, it just didn't get any easier.

 _It's gonna be okay in the end_ , He told himself worriedly, trying to remember his own philosophy of being optimistic and not panicking...oh, who was he kidding?! He was freaking out!

"Oh no."

Johnny swivelled to look at his father-in-law anxiously "What? Drac, c'mon, what the hell's going on?!"

Dracula silently handed the younger vampire the note, looking rather nervous - and Johnny could soon see why.

_I've changed my mind. Keep your own lives - I've gotten more than I need._

* * *

_And as the clock struck five, the screams began to subside,_

_A flash of lightning illuminating the sky:_

_The woman's yells ceased, replaced by that of her child,_

_Oh, how she would find the world gone wild._

_They called the father in, his smile wide,_

_Unaware that all hope had died;_

_"A daughter", they told him with eyes so bright,_

_Unaware that this was only half of the fight._

* * *

Holding her - the baby - made a sense of relief wash over Mavis: she was happy and healthy, just like she should have been.

"I guess Jack didn't get the brother he wanted," Johnny joked, and the dark-haired vampire let out a small laugh. "Still, she's a beauty...even if she _does_ have my hair." He gave a small nod, smiling to himself. "Yeah. I think he'll be pleased with a little sister anyway."

She handed the baby to him, feeling exhausted: after all, giving birth was no small feat, and to do it on such short notice was more difficult than she had thought it would be. But, no, Mavis thought happily, this baby was healthy and beautiful: with red hair and rosy cheeks-

And then it hit her like an out of control yeti.

"Something's wrong," Mavis panicked, and Johnny's smile faded. "She's... She's _warm,_ a-and I can smell it on her..."

He realized too, and his eyes widened.

"She's human."


	27. Chapter 27

When Freddie pushed open the door to his girlfriend's room the following night, the first thing he saw was Lucy cradling a newborn baby swaddled in blankets to her chest and staring out of the window wistfully.

"Hi," He muttered, quietly shutting the door behind him. "How is she?"

Lucy gave a sigh, still staring out at the night sky outside. "Fine: breathing, sleeping, alive...but still human." She turned to him, taking a few steps closer so that he would be able to see her new sister too. "She's so delicate, more delicate than one of our kind would be."

The baby certainly looked it: in Freddie's opinion, she looked rather like a china doll - pale but with a pink colour rising in her cheeks, long fluttering eyelashes that stood out against her pale skin and a head of dark red hair already.

"She's pretty," He mumbled, dread filling his insides. "Really pretty. She looks kinda like you."

Lucy gave a rather hollow laugh. "No, she looks like my Dad - completely. Even if her eyes stay blue, she'll still be an exact female version of him." She stroked a tuft of hair off of her little sister's forehead. "I still can't imagine it, you know? Being the oldest but seeing one of my little sisters _old_ before me... She'll only live a hundred years, if that."

Freddie felt quite sick all of a sudden. "H-How's your Mom doing?"

"Physically? Fine. Mentally..." She hesitated before shaking her head. "Not so well. Since we found out last night about her being...you know... Mom's been going nuts." Lucy frowned, not looking too pleased herself. "That _witch_ tricked us: she told us she wanted life, and we were all willing to give it to her... But then she changed her mind." She blinked a tear out of her eyes before continuing. "And now...now she's a human."

"Well," Freddie started, trying to sound confident but failing by miles. "Surely when she gets old enough, one of you guys could...you know-"

Lucy gave a sniffle, making him stop talking. "We can't. Grandpa said so: that there's a high chance that she'll be immune to vampire venom... A-Apparently, something in her system went wrong..." She blinked away her tears again, refusing to be seen crying. "This has only happened a couple of times before, and the last time was thousands of years ago. You know how humans have white blood cells that help them fight diseases? The cells make these...things that destroy the microbes that cause a disease or something."

The adult vampire gave a tiny nod.

"Well, her blood-cells were exposed to the vampire part of her when Mom was pregnant, and now...now her body's immune to the chemicals that would change her." Lucy gazed down at her sister sadly. "Besides, the witch took the vampire part away at the last moment with dark magic - there's no reversing dark magic."

Freddie fell backwards onto his girlfriend's bed, not having the energy to stand. "That's just... _sick_."

"I know," Lucy sighed, nodding her head dejectedly. "I know. But Dad says that we need to try and be positive: she's here now, and we should enjoy her while she's still with us."

There was a small silence between them where the waiter tried to gather some strength in his limbs and the teenaged vampire continued to rock her human sister.

"Does she have a name yet?"

"No. She needs one though," Lucy agreed softly. "I'll ask Mom and Dad when I bring her back to their room - for now, I just want to hold her."

Freddie didn't complain, instead making room so that his girlfriend could sit down on the bed beside him and they could both gaze at the baby; although he barely knew most of Lucy's family and it would be a long time until he was counted as a family member, he already felt a part of the drama surrounding it.

* * *

This was the thing that nightmares were made of.

Mina's bottom lip trembled. "What do you mean, 'the baby is human'?"

"They were born a human," Johnny repeated, scratching the back of his neck and looking to Jack for some help - his son just tiredly shook his head. "So...so they're not a vampire."

"Why don't you just change the baby?" She questioned confusedly. "Then she can be a vampire too."

Jack could see his father was closer than ever to suffering a nervous breakdown, so he took over. "Mina, honey," He muttered, taking his hands in hers. "The baby can't be changed. You know we told you about that mean witch? How she wanted to get something from Grandpa because she brought the baby back to us?" Mina nodded. "Well, she changed her mind - she took it from the baby instead, so now they're human."

"But...But..." She looked up at her older brother. "Won't they die soon?"

_Oh no. I...Not again!_

"Not soon," Jack answered hurriedly as Johnny stood up and started pacing in a rather panicked way. "The baby - yeah, she'll probably have about a hundred years with us before she goes to be with Grandma Martha. That doesn't seem very long when you think about it, but it's a long time really..."

As he continued to explain, Johnny's head was racing at a mile a minute: the last time he had seen a human relative age and die before him had been his youngest brother, Jake, passing on. Before that he had had to suffer watching all of his brothers, their wives, their _children_ pass on...and it was made no easier by his parents dying too.

And now...now it was one of his children.

That was when he bolted, needing a moment on his own to try and calm himself down. Johnny wasn't the weepy type, and it took a lot to get him crying - the thought of his newborn daughter who had only just entered the world dying so soon made him want to scratch his eyes out, and he knew it would only be seconds until he broke down.

It was five minutes later that Johnny was on the rooftop, wiping his eyes and nose on his shirt sleeves and cursing underneath his breath loudly. Although he was generally a pretty easy-going guy who could see the good in everyone, he cursed the witch who had done this to them: he damned her, bunching his fists up and yelling to himself.

_I can't deal with this again._

It was like his nightmare all over again: the child they had waited for - nearly lost - gone forever, struck down by an early death.

"DAMN IT!" He screamed, picking up a loose slab from the roof and hurtling it away from himself.

"That won't help, Johnny."

Johnny didn't have to turn to know who it was. "Drac, go away!"

Dracula just bowed his head. "Johnny, I...I wish there was something that I could do... I _was_ going to do something-"

"Leave me alone!" Johnny snarled suddenly, spinning around and glaring at his father-in-law. Once upon a time he would have been terrified of even _thinking_ of acting in such a manner - but that was long ago, when he hadn't been so angry. "You wouldn't get it, Drac! You don't have to watch...to watch..." His face crumpled and he fell to his knees. "This is wrong...it's all wrong..."

The count didn't flare up at such behaviour - it was completely understandable. "Johnny," He murmured quietly. "You are right: I do not know how you are feeling. However, I do feel _similar_ to you, you know: it is my granddaughter, and I have no wishes to see her age so quickly."

"Life sucks," The red-head muttered dejectedly, sitting back on his haunches and glaring down at the tiles of the roof. "It sucks, and there's not a thing anyone can do about it."

"No," Dracula agreed slowly. "There isn't. But we cannot stop ourselves from living our lives, Johnny: in fact, when life is unfair we have to learn to treasure it more. We are going to treasure this baby's life and all of the moments in it...and when it is their time to leave us, we will be content in knowing that she has lived a good life - that we will meet her again in the spirit world."

Johnny just shook his head dejectedly, trying to hold back his tears.

A hand appeared on his shoulder, and he looked up. "Johnny, it's not going to be easy," Dracula admitted softly, a tender look on his face. "It will be harder than anything, seeing this happen and not being able to stop it. But there is no point in being sad over it: all we can do is make sure that this little girl has as full a life as possible. Besides, you and Mavis will have each other...we'll all have each other."

As Johnny tried to compose himself, he knew that his father-in-law was - of course - correct. Still, it would _not_ be easy but...the least he could do was try to see the positive.

* * *

The baby had, of course, become hotel-famous; all it had been was someone overhearing Freddie muttering it to his Uncle Al and... BOOM! Soon the entire hotel knew that Johnny and Mavis had somehow had a human daughter the previous night.

"I do wish they'd stop staring," Lucy grumbled moodily as they sat and ate dinner in the hall with Freddie and Dracula - when she looked around, people just continued to stare. "Hey! Haven't you got anything else better to do?"

There were some murmurings and Jack rolled his eyes impatiently. "We can hear you, you know!"

"You know, I don't think they care," Freddie muttered, looking rather annoyed by it all. "I mean, they should...but there just aren't good monsters out there anymore."

"Let me deal with this," Dracula said calmly, turning around in his seat - all it took was one glare around the room and everyone hurriedly looked away. "There, see? No more bother."

Lucy gave a small sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, for the next five minutes that is."

"It's not even that big a deal," Mina complained, much to everyone's surprise. "She won't hurt anyone, right? Humans aren't that bad!" When the other four vampires just stared at her, she shrugged and continued eating. "She's only a human...and a baby at that."

Dracula looked at his granddaughter, a mixture of awe and proudness on his face. "I agree," He said quietly, giving her a small smile. "The baby is not dangerous, and nor are all humans. Some...well, that is a different story. But not this one."

 _What a long way I've come_ , he thought to himself, somewhat pleased.

After dinner, Dracula left because he had to check over some legal documents concerning the hotel (it was best to keep himself busy, especially since he hadn't heard back from the council as of yet), and so the younger four vampires decided to visit Mavis and Johnny before the Sun rose and they had to retire.

Mina, who hadn't been granted the chance yet, was bouncing the entire way up the stairs. "What does she look like? Is she pretty? Does she look like me, or more like you, Lu? Does she cry a lot?"

"All babies cry, Mina," Jack said, somewhat amused. "And...I dunno who she looks like, really. Lu, what do you think?"

Lucy shrugged, forcing a smile on her face as she walked down the corridors by Freddie's side; the two were holding hands, and it comforted her to feel him holding onto her in someway. "She has red hair, I suppose... But it takes a while for eye colour to show up, so we'll see."

Inside the room, things had calmed down - for now. Mavis smiled at her older children as they entered (Freddie had opted to stay outside, stating that he felt awkward being there in a family moment), and just watched as they cooed over the baby.

"She is so cute," Lucy whispered, feeling tears sting in her eyes. "She's...she's going to grow up and be a heartbreaker, I can tell."

Mina gave a small, annoyed noise. "Hey! I wanna hold her too!" Lucy laughed and Jack positioned their younger sister's arms so that she could hold their youngest sibling safely. When the bundle was passed into the dark-haired girl's arms, she let out a small noise of surprise.

"I like her," She decided, nodding and smiling. "So does this mean I'm not the littlest anymore?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Johnny agreed, giving her a small smile.

Mina's grin widened. "Yay! Hear that, guys? That means that I can't be bossed around anymore!"

Jack snorted. "Oh no, we can still boss you around...but now you have someone of your own to boss around too." His little sister let out a small 'wahoo!' in celebration before passing the baby to her father.

"So, have you guys thought of any names, yet?" Lucy asked, trying to start a positive conversation. "We can't just call her 'the baby' all the time."

"Ooh! Ooh!" Mina piped up excitedly. "I wanna name her! Can I?"

Johnny laughed at her affectionately, careful not to rouse the baby from her sleep. "Well, I guess you can help. I dunno, Mavy, what do you think?"

Mavis shrugged, not really sure...but then she hesitated before speaking. "I guess I... I like the name, 'Lily' quite a lot."

"Lily," Johnny repeated softly, nodding his head and looking down at their daughter. "I like it too. What do you guys think?" He questioned, looking up at his other three kids for confirmation.

Mina was the first to voice her opinion, of course: "I like it too! It's pretty!"

"It's very pretty," Jack agreed, a small smile spreading across his face. "I read somewhere that lilies are these flowers, and that the humans associate them with purity and beauty. Plus, there are some awesome book characters with that name, so... I approve!"

Lucy shook her head at her brother's knowledge. "Lily is a great name, no matter what the meaning is." She paused before nodding. "And after hearing that meaning, yes: it's the perfect name to give her."

"It's not just that, though," Jack insisted, causing his sister's to roll their eyes at him. "Dad, I remember I read this book about how certain names mean certain things, and how people with certain names do certain things!"

"It's only a name, Jack," Mina stated, trying to sound a lot older than she was.

The only boy just shrugged before continuing. "People with the name Lily usually touch the lives of those around them...and I think, judging by what...what has happened, that she's going to do that."

There was a silence in the room as they all digested that information to themselves, waiting for somebody else to speak up after hearing that particular piece of information.

Finally, Mavis sent her son a weak smile. "Yeah," She agreed hoarsely. "She's definitely a Lily."


	28. Chapter 28

Johnny was woken up early the next evening by the sound of weak little cries across the room. _Ah, the joys of having kids_. Still, he smiled and pushed himself out of bed without waking Mavis up before crossing the room.

"Aww...Good evening, Lily," He cooed, picking her up and patting her on the back. "You hungry? Need a new diaper?"

Lily gave a small gurgle, not helping very much. With her hair mussed up, untidy and eyes wide she looked rather like Johnny did that moment - nearly identical, in fact. Johnny felt her diaper carefully, making sure not to get any potential poop on his hands and to not hurt his daughter, feeling for any telling wetness.

"Well, you don't seemed to have pooped yourself, so maybe...I dunno...you just wanted a hug..." He rocked her back and forth on the spot, humming a tune to himself happily. "It's gonna be real weird for you in life, you know: most humans sleep during the night and stay awake during the day. I mean, you can do that if you want to when you're older I guess, but we can't."

He examined the newest addition to the family and grinned even more; he was already falling in love again.

"Hey, you got my hair," Johnny chuckled, stroking a tuft of it back affectionately. "I'm sorry, kiddo: if I'd had the choice than I would have made you have your Mommy's hair and not mine... Still, your sister doesn't look too bad with it, so I guess you won't either."

His daughter gave a sleepy yawn, burrowing down into his chest and wriggling slightly; her nose was scrunched up adorably, eyes shut and mouth a tiny bit open as she breathed in and out. She was _so little_ it actually hurt...Heck, this was the fourth time holding a new-born baby for the first time and he was still scared that he might have a clumsy moment and drop her.

Johnny gave a small sigh, patting her back softly. "You're gonna get big too fast. I wish we could do something... But you're here now, and we all love you, Lil...even if you _do_ start having teenage tantrums or whatever when you get older. Anyway, enough sad stuff: how about a story?"

Lily gave a yawn, clinging to Johnny and looking up at him in an almost expectant way.

"I got a ton of stories to tell: heh, it's kinda funny, 'cause your sisters and brother have heard _all_ of them and complain whenever I re-tell a story..." _Okay, think child friendly_... "Okay, so there was this one time where I went camping in Scotland - I'm not kidding, it was the coldest thing ever! I didn't see Ol' Nessie though... He was probably here actually. I guess even the Loch Ness Monster needs a holiday, huh?"

It was only then that he noticed that she'd fallen asleep on him. Smiling to himself, Johnny carefully put her back inside the cradle they had managed to set up for her and made sure to tuck her in so that she wouldn't get too chilly; putting the kids to bed had always been quite an enjoyable experience for him, especially when they were so little and didn't make too much fuss about going. Once he was sure she was tucked in and comfortable, he headed back for his own bed - he was going to need as much sleep as possible, what with a new baby.

As he flopped back into bed, utterly exhausted, he heard a familiar voice chuckle lightly from beside him. "Just for the record, Nessie probably _was_ here: he comes a lot because of all the human attention he receives."

Man, was this an awesome family or what?

* * *

"Lu? You okay?"

Lucy didn't answer, still staring ahead into space, so Mina turned to look at Freddie excitedly. "We're gonna hear about the hotel tonight! We think the letter's gonna come tonight, because it's been ages now and it shouldn't take _too_ long..."

"It might not come," Jack said weakly, although the look on his face clearly showed that he was expecting it too. "It can't be too bad, right? This hotel's one of the highest-rated in the world - one of the only with five stars-"

"You mean 'five stakes'," Mina corrected, giggling to herself as she said it.

Her brother rolled his eyes slightly. "Yeah, that. Okay, so that lady was kind of scary and a bit messed up in the head - plenty of reason to be, I suppose - but still...it doesn't take a genius to see how much this place needs to stay open."

Freddie didn't even bother to ask why the lady would have been 'messed up' with 'plenty of reason to be', instead sitting next to his girlfriend and putting a reassuring arm around her. "It's going to be okay," He tried to convince her, although it didn't sound confident at all coming out of his mouth. "I mean, they let _me_ keep working here of all people, so...so they'll definitely keep the hotel open."

"Yeah, but the news about Lily is bound to get out at some point," Lucy stated worriedly. "About her being human...the council won't like that at all."

"But she's not dangerous!" Mina protested, rolling her eyes. "I'm only _thirty-one_ and I know that!"

Jack gave a heavy sigh. "I know... Besides, we have enough to worry about as it is: for one thing, how the heck are Mom and Dad coping with the whole 'human baby' thing? I mean, of course they love her and all... But that's got to be difficult to get used to."

"Yeah, but Dad used to be human himself," His older sister reminded him, lowering her voice so that Mina wouldn't hear - as understanding as she was, she didn't need to know about their father being bitten and changed just yet. "I'm sure they're both somewhat okay with the idea of her being human."

"Apart from the age thing," Jack added miserably. "God, Lu: what did they do to deserve this?"

She shrugged sadly. "It's nature, Jack: there's nothing to be done about it really."

The evening didn't improve, to say the least: none of them could enjoy the night very much because of the worry they were all feeling about the report arriving. Added onto the stress of a human baby being delivered it was really quite a difficult thing to deal with.

In the end, it was Lucy who managed to break them out of their zombie-like state; after all, as eldest it _was_ her responsibility.

They had been sitting in the lobby silently, watching as their fellow monsters milled around and gossiped, presumably some of it about the new baby; Mina looked rather bored, fidgeting in her seat and looking at her Martha-bat as though it would come to life and rescue her from such dull activities. Lucy bit her lip, thinking hard as to what might entertain them all enough to snap them out of this negative state - and then it came to her.

"Psst! Mina!" She called, and her little sister looked up immediately, eyes hopeful. "Guess who I am: _Velcome to Hotel Transylvania!_ "

Mina gave a high-pitched giggle. "That's Grandpa!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "That was in no way like Grandpa."

"Oh yeah?" Lucy grinned to herself before putting on an angry face. " _I vill suck your blood out like a deflated whoopee-cushion!_ "

Their little sister gave another infectious laugh, clutching her toy bat. " _Thees ees just a normal hotel, nothing going on!_ "

"Real mature," Jack muttered, although he was starting to chuckle too. "Bet you can't do one of Dad."

Lucy smiled brightly, putting a ridiculous happy-go-lucky look on her face. " _Woah! A hotel for monsters! Awesome!...Oh, check out this! And this! Man, this place is so cool and awesome... Is there like a costume party or something?_ "

"Ooh, ooh!" Mina exclaimed. "What was it he told me once?... _One time I caught this guy stealing my shampoo...a-and I was like, "Woah, man!" and he threw a flower pot at me-_ "

" _But he was cool_!" The three of them finished together, clutching at their sides from the amount of giggling and laughing they were doing.

Mina sat up, looking at her older siblings eagerly. "Can you do one of Uncle Wayne?"

Lucy put on a serious face this time as she stood up, looking utterly miserable. " _Uh...I know...tell me about it... Hey! Kids, reel it in! You're only supposed to make Mom and Dad miserable!_ "

"Oh, how about Auntie Eunice?"

" _FRANK!_ _Are we at the hotel?! WHAT?! You didn't book our table?! WHAAT?! You DIDN'T_ _book us for a tandem massage?! DO YOU DO ANYTHING?!_ "

By this point many of the guests had turned to look at them, somewhat bemused by what they were doing. A few of the child guests had stopped running around and playing, scooting closer to the three vampires and staring at them with awe.

This time Jack suggested someone to impersonate. "You know, you should do one of Mina," He said, causing his little sister to look quite offended.

Lucy bit her lip, feigning a look of innocence. " _I didn't do anything, Daddy; it was Martha-bat. Please don't take my candy away!_ "

"Ha-ha," Mina muttered dryly while Jack roared with laughter, although a smile was tugging on her lips once again. "You're _really_ good at that, Lu: being other people. You should work here as a...a... Someone who pretends to be someone else."

"Like an impersonator or something?" Lucy asked, quite surprised. "I don't think so."

"But you're real good at it," Mina stated, as if her opinion was a good enough indicator. "You could do shows and stuff for people when they're eating, right Jack?"

Jack shrugged, still smiling widely to himself. "It's not a bad idea, actually: nothing like staying close to home, hey?" As Mina gave a satisfied smile and hopped out of her chair to play with some of the other monster children, the dark-haired boy leaned in closer to his older sister. "You know, our Uncle Daniel used to be one of those human actors."

"So?"

"So maybe that's where you've got it from," Jack suggested, a twinkle in his eyes. "Mina was right; you're pretty good at being other people. For a minute I actually thought you were Dad... And your Auntie Eunice impression was fantastic."

Lucy grinned, suddenly quite excited: who wouldn't be after discovering a newfound talent?

And boy did it feel good to have one that her siblings didn't.

* * *

"D'aww... A couple of nights old and she still can't keep her eyes open for more than two minutes. Isn't that adorable?" When Mavis just gave a small "hmm" noise, Johnny frowned and turned to face her. "What's the matter? You haven't touched her since she was born."

"I'm scared of dropping her," Mavis replied instantly, voice nothing more than a monotone. "That's all."

Johnny didn't look convinced. "It's never stopped you from holding a baby before." He paused, looking at her with wide eyes. "You know I don't blame you for what happened to her-"

"Well you should," Mavis stated firmly. "If I hadn't meddled around with that witch then we wouldn't be here-"

"Exactly," Johnny agreed. "And neither would Lily. It wasn't a completely bad thing."

Mavis just shook her head. "I can't believe I'd be so stupid," She muttered, angry with herself. " _She_ is going to hate me once she knows what I did - what I let that witch do - and I just... I can't deal with that." She shrugged. "Maybe it's for the best that I don't feel attached to her."

The red-head bit his lip, not exactly sure what he could say in this situation. "But she needs you; you're the Mom. Besides, you can't just ignore her forever."

"It won't be forever though, will it?" She sighed but gave into temptation: Mavis looked down at their daughter, who was sleeping in her cot. "She looks exactly like you, you know," She mused, smiling just a little to herself. "She's got your hair, your eye shape, your mouth, your nose... _freckles_... I just hope her eyes turn brown like yours."

Johnny blinked, not quite sure why she had said that. "Why?"

"Because then there won't be any of me in her," Mavis continued sadly, reaching down a hand and carefully pushing back some red tufts of hair from Lily's face so that it wouldn't bother her while she slept. "After what I've done, I can't stand myself: if she's completely you, then I know she'll be _you_ all the way and not me."

"Well, that's ridiculous," Her husband complained, frowning at her once again. "Mavy, you managed to...to bring her _back,_ I guess; if it weren't for you and all, she wouldn't be lying here right now." He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "That, and the fact you're pretty awesome for giving birth on such short notice."

The two were silent for a moment, looking down at the baby in the cot. Finally Mavis said, "I don't think I'd ever be able to do it again, even if I wanted to: the pain I was in... One of the witches said that...that Lily growing so much in such little time might have affected my...my..." She trailed off, looking quite ashamed of herself. "I'm in pain right now - all I can feel is this shooting pain from where she was growing. Last night it got so bad that I couldn't sleep for a few hours."

"You should have told me," Johnny let out, quite alarmed; he put his other hand on his wife's stomach and looked down at it worriedly. "You should probably get medicine or something for it - hey, maybe one of the cleaner witches could-"

"I'm fine," She interrupted, pulling away from him. "I can deal with it...it's gonna go away soon. If not...well, it's the least I deserve."

Johnny opened his mouth to protest, but there was a knock on the door. Composing herself, Mavis walked across the room to open it and found herself face-to-face with one of the knight guards.

"Good evening, madam," He greeted politely, nodding to her.

"Good evening," She greeted back, eying him up. "Is something wrong?"

The knight gave a small cough, suddenly looing uncomfortable - Mavis could tell because he stiffened up like a board and kept his back straight. "A letter has arrived addressed to your father - we believe it to be a write-up of the hotel inspection."

"Wait, what?!" Johnny exclaimed, suddenly appearing next to Mavis and eying the suit with wide eyes. " _The_ report?"

The suit nodded. "Yes, sir. It may also interest you to know that it was hand-delivered by a lady - the inspector, if I'm correct."


	29. Chapter 29

_Report of the Hotel Transylvania_

_Over the years, Hotel Transylvania has become a much-loved part of our world; however, like all establishments that concern others, it must be checked to ensure that it is safe at the current time for the race of monsters._

_I, Ava Harker, have spent the past week and a half at this hotel; at first, I was unsure as to what was so great about it that everyone wanted to be there - it seemed like any old hotel to me, and I was not greatly impressed. I was further unimpressed at the revelation of an ex-human staying in the hotel at the time: while he may not have posed any immediate danger to our kind, one can never be too sure as to what will happen._

_At first my stay did not have a particularly positive start; food was not prepared to the way I liked it, children would wake me up before the Sun was down, and I was extremely sure that most guests are not accustomed to having humans (ex or not) stay. This may have clouded my judgement, at first, and I took a moment to step back and see the hotel for what it really was._

_Throughout the week the service was surprisingly fast, considering its use of zombie employees, and the room I received was regularly cleaned to the point where it nearly shined. The food was, for the most part, well-prepared and delicious; a new chef was recruited during my time, and he was much better than his predecessor. I was admittedly still concerned over the matter of the safety of my fellow monsters at the hotel, considering the ex-human residing nearby, but I must say that he proved not to be a large issue in the end._

_Of course the one person to speak about is the founder of the hotel, the infamous Count Dracula; I conversed with him a number of times, and he was always polite to both me and other guests while doing so. He also appeared to be rather in control of his staff and the going-ons in his hotel - a required quality for hotel managers all over the world. Thanks to him, I was able to feel quite safe during my stay in the hotel: the presence of knight guards on every floor was reassuring and allows guests to sleep during the day comfortably with the knowledge that nothing will hurt them. I know this for a fact because this was how I felt during my entire stay - Count Dracula certainly knows what he's doing, and I applaud him for that._

_Overall, I am pleased to announce that the Hotel Transylvania will remain open - let's hope that Count Dracula keeps up his great work and continues to provide shelter for all the monsters in the world._

_Ava Harker  
Senior Member of the Monster Council_

"HOLY CRAP!" Johnny yelled joyously, many of the monsters surrounding him joining in. "Did you hear that?! We're staying open!"

Dracula smiled, rather relieved, and folded up the letter he had just been reading out; things weren't going to go downhill...in fact, they were going quite the opposite as of late... "Yes, Johnny, I am rather aware that we're staying open."

"I get to keep my job!" Freddie grinned, wrapping his arms around Lucy and pressing a kiss to her cheek; no one even looked their way. "And you know what that means? It means that we can still see each other...we don't have to do anything too difficult!"

Lucy beamed, wrapping her arms around him and laughing. "We're staying open... This place has been open since before I was born, and to have it staying open...this is amazing!" She grinned up at him cheekily. "And having you stay...well, that's an added bonus."

Jack rolled his eyes at them but he too was smiling; the news that the hotel was staying open was absolutely brilliant, a breath of fresh air after the completely dark week he and his family had suffered through.

"I dunno about you guys," Johnny shouted joyously, laughing to himself. "But I think this calls for a party!"

 _What is it with him and his parties?_ , Dracula thought in a somewhat affectionate way - he wasn't too annoyed at the prospect of a party, considering the fantastic news.

Other monsters, guests who had gathered around just to hear the news, were all agreeing loudly and getting extremely excitable - any excuse for a party was a good one, really, especially in one of the safest hotels in the world...and, to be fair, it would be a nice change for all of them who had been staying during the events that had occurred.

"You're coming, right?" Lucy asked her boyfriend, and Freddie grinned as he gave a nod. "Good - I look forward to dancing with you." She leaned into him, smiling happily. "It gives me an excuse to be much closer, you see..."

"Oh, get a room!" Jack interrupted from behind them, looking rather disgusted and disturbed. "There's plenty of them here, you know; take your pick!"

Mina looked up at her parents with a confused look on her face. "What does that mean?"

Johnny's grin slipped for a second - only for a second, but it still happened; he wasn't too fond of the idea of his daughter having a boyfriend just yet...especially a much _older_ one.

Mavis looked at her husband and shook her head bemusedly. "You know, twenty six years is not that big an age difference when you think about it; we're ninety-seven years apart."

Johnny just stared at her. "Well...it was different," He mumbled unsurely. "I mean, I _was_ human and stuff, so...so it's different..."

"You just don't want her to grow up," His wife dismissed, giving him a grin and showing off her fangs. "Too little too late, if you ask me."

"Hmm...well..." Johnny muttered, eyes lingering on the younger couple for a moment. "Let's just see how it goes."

* * *

By midnight the hotel party was in full-swing - not one area of the hotel wasn't in celebration at the news, spreading their joy throughout the entire hotel. Some monsters were dancing around in corridors, slightly tipsy from drinks, while others were downstairs and in the lounge and partying wildly with each other.

"Woah! Slow down, Dad!" Jack laughed, ducking away from his father. "Honestly, and I thought _I_ was a terrible dancer..."

Lily - being only a few nights old - had not been present during the party, of course; luckily, Wanda had stepped in at the last moment and kindly offered to babysit while everyone was partying. Mina was there, despite her young age, and she looked very much as if she were having the time of her life on the dance floor.

" _A zing...A zing!_ " She half-sang-half-giggled giddily. " _Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!_ "

Lucy chuckled, ruffling her little sister's hair as she turned to Jack. "Gee, I wonder which parent she learnt that from."

Jack nodded in agreement, opening his mouth to say something else; however, Freddie suddenly appeared and held out his hand to Lucy as the music changed. "I owe you a dance," He stated innocently, grinning quite sheepishly. "May I?"

Lucy's smile widened and she nodded quickly. "Duh!"

Jack just watched as his sister and Freddie disappeared into the crowd of monsters, feeling somewhat weird and strange inside. _Honestly though... Now she has a zing she's always with him... Not like I can blame her, though, considering how much crap's gone on lately..._

"Jack, Jack!" He heard Mina yell, and he saw her running up to him eagerly. "Come dance with me, Jack!"

"Alright, fine," He gave in, taking her hand and bouncing with her back onto the dance floor; she was so much shorter than him that he had to pick her up and place her on his sneakers as they danced on the spot. "So," He said casually. "How does it feel being a big sis, Mina?"

His little sister's face brightened radiantly. "Awesome! Now I don't have to be bossed around anymore! _And_ I'm not the littlest either - I'm like Lucy, I'm a big vampire!"

Jack chuckled, shaking his head at her. "Yeah, well, you've still got a long way to go until you're as big as me and Lu are."

"Yeah, yeah, I know...but still!" She exclaimed happily. "I'm not the littlest anymore!"

He didn't have the heart to tell her that in less than a decade their youngest sister would definitely be a lot bigger than she was.

Meanwhile, Lucy and Freddie were laughing as they danced in a somewhat awkward fashion (after all, neither of them were particularly graceful vampires) - but all awkwardness aside, it was absolutely great because they were spending time together without having to go behind someone's back.

"That's what I love about parties," Lucy mused as Freddie spun her under his arm. "No one actually cares that we're dancing together."

"Why shouldn't we be?" Freddie questioned, shrugging as he smiled. "We _are_ zings, right? They don't need to care about what we do."

She grinned. "See? I told you that you were wise, and you totally didn't believe me." She giggled as he stooped down, arms wrapped around her tightly, and pressed an affectionate kiss against her forehead.

And then, out of the corner of her eye, Lucy caught sight of a brunette female vampire who was sitting on her own and watching the party wistfully.

"Hey," She murmured, pulling away and looking at her boyfriend apologetically. "Can I just...talk to someone? I'll be back soon, I promise."

Freddie shrugged and nodded. "Sure; I need a Blood Beater anyway. You want one?"

"Hmm, yes," She agreed, throat suddenly dry - she missed drinking Blood Beaters. As the waiter strode through the crowd to get to the bar, Lucy made her way over to the table where Ava was sat; when the older vampire saw her, her eyes widened out of surprise.

_Okay... No, don't be too mean. She did keep us open, after all._

"Hey," Lucy greeted awkwardly, tongue-tied all of a sudden. "So...you're not joining in then."

Ava shook her head, a sad smile on her face. "No. I don't feel much like it, to be honest." She paused, eying Lucy up. "Is there something you wanted to say?"

"I...uhmm..." The red-head sat down opposite her and scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. "I guess I just wanted to say thanks and all for keeping us open... It really means a lot to us, you know." When Ava didn't reply, just continuing to look at Lucy, she pressed on. "I...I know what happened to you when you were younger, by the way."

Ava raised an eyebrow. "I see."

"Your Dad, he..." Lucy swallowed thickly. "Some vampires go nuts, human before or not. Some humans can't take the pressure of being changed, o-or the stuff that changes with it; your Dad couldn't and that's okay. Well, not okay...but it's understandable."

"You are saying that murder is understandable?" The brunette questioned, although she seemed more curious than angry.

Lucy shook her head. "No, of course not. But your Dad obviously wasn't...sane when he did what he did." She paused, fiddling with the hem on her jumper and biting her lip unsurely - and then she realized she didn't care about saying the wrong thing, not anymore. "Our Dad isn't like that, you know: our Grandpa Drac and Mom tried really hard to convince him not to go through with it but...he _really_ wanted it. He waited years for it, so he knew he was ready."

"I can see that now," Ava sighed, looking away as if quite ashamed. "But you must understand that after seeing what my father had done...well, I want to keep our kind as safe as possible."

"Yeah, I get that," The teenaged vampire admitted, nodding her head. "But that doesn't mean that we have to completely exclude humans." She looked down at the table sadly. "My Mom got pregnant again, you know... Some witch did a spell on her to get the baby back and now...now she's had that baby."

Ava seemed quite alarmed. "Had it? As in-"

"It was a girl," Lucy continued, almost as if Ava hadn't spoken. "She was born a couple of nights ago because that witch put a spell on my Mom to make everything happen faster. She's..." She blinked back a tear, determined not to ruin the party by crying. "She's human, and we can't do anything about it."

The two sat in silence for a few more moments, just watching the monsters around them partying and having fun. Finally Ava straightened up and said, "I'm sorry."

"She's not dangerous," Lucy stated, determined to get her point across. "Tell the Council not to worry about her or anything; if she's raised surrounded by monsters then she won't be dangerous or a threat to us at all."

"Yes, that's true," Ava agreed quietly, so quietly that the younger vampire almost couldn't hear her. "As long as she doesn't go out into the human world and tell other humans of us, we should be able to live her life peacefully." She suddenly peered around Lucy's shoulder and raised her eyebrows again. "I think your...friend is waiting for you to join him."

Lucy looked over her shoulder and saw Freddie standing across the hall, holding two glasses full of Blood Beaters in his hands and waiting patiently for her to join him.

"I should probably go," Lucy muttered, standing up. "I only wanted to say thanks about the report and stuff..."

Ava suddenly smiled. "I know you and your family may think I'm evil, after my behaviour after the last few weeks - but I'm not quite so evil as to shut down a hotel that clearly needs to remain open." Lucy stared at her, utterly shocked by this. "Good luck with your 'friend', and tell your parents I give them my Congratulations on the baby."

Lucy nodded, starting to walk away with her head spinning from the conversation she had just had.

* * *

It was only the next evening that the family left the hotel; after all of the events, they wanted nothing more than to get home, settle down and adjust to having a new baby to care for.

"Well, that was definitely the worst trip we've had to the hotel," Jack muttered, carrying a couple of heavy books he had borrowed from the hotel library into the house with him. "And I _never_ hate going to the hotel."

"It wasn't all bad," Lucy tried to argue fairly.

Jack and Mina just smirked at her. "That's only because you got a boyfriend," Mina giggled knowingly, causing her sister to look away rather embarrassedly. "Still, I guess it was okay; the hotel's staying open, right? And we got a new baby sister too."

"Yeah, but the sister's human," Jack pointed out.

Mina shushed him in a rather bossy way, causing both of her siblings to give her surprised looks. "Don't be so...so...whatever. Be happy! We got a new sister, and she's gonna be fun to play with soon."

As she pranced away, Martha-bat still underneath her arm, Lucy leaned closer to her younger brother as they stared after her. "She's not the baby anymore, is she? And that's not just because of Lily."

Jack sighed. "No, she's not; she's grown up a lot over the past two weeks."

"I don't think she cares too much, though," His older sister mused, smiling to herself as she picked up her overnight bag to put away. "I bet you that we'll hear her bragging to her Martha-bat later that she's not the youngest anymore."

It was odd for the two of them, seeing the little sister they'd protected for the past thirty-one years suddenly not be the youngest - for her to be a responsible figure. It was a rather big change; but now they understood that it wasn't a necessarily bad one.

* * *

Johnny grinned as he finished tucking Lily into her new cot (thank God they had kept that in the attic somewhere for 'just in case' situations) and turned to face Mavis, who was putting away some of her clothes and pretending not to watch him.

"She's so cute when she sleeps," Johnny stated, a stupid grin plastered across his face. "Kinda reminds me of my brother Jake when he was little, I guess... Well, obviously she's a girl and he was a boy, but still: it's kinda weird, seeing how alike they look and stuff."

"I told you," Mavis muttered, a small smile flickering across her face. "She looks like _you_ exactly."

Johnny shrugged modestly. "Heh, well...I guess she _does_ have my hair..." He looked at his wife, his smile fading somewhat. "You okay? It's been a tough two weeks... Is something bothering you?"

Mavis sighed, sitting on their bed and shrugging. "I guess I'm not; it's just surreal, seeing how quickly everything went by. I _still_ feel so guilty about what I did, and...and..." She looked up at Johnny desperately. "I feel like a terrible Mom right now."

"What? Why?!" The red-head asked, quite alarmed as he sat next to her.

"It's nothing really...I guess it's just..." Mavis looked at him unsurely. "Everytime I look at her - Lily - I remember what I did, why exactly she's here and she's _human_... And I can't pick her up, because she reminds me of what happened." She gazed at him, as if expecting him to come up with the answer. " _Does_ that make me a bad Mom?"

Johnny shook his head instantly. "No, totally not! But you need to stop blaming yourself," He said, putting a hand on her shoulder to try and comfort her. "She won't be angry at you if she finds out - _you_ 're the reason she's here and able to _live_ some kind of life with us."

Mavis didn't say anything, clearly still unsure.

"Fine," Johnny muttered, standing up and going back to Lily's crib. "If _I_ can't show you, then I guess we've got to step it up..."

The dark-haired vampire's eyes widened with the realization of what he was going to do. "No, I can't-"

He ignored her, picking up Lily from her bed and bouncing her on the spot for a few seconds so that she was comfortable "Come on, Mavy; she's our baby. The least you can do it hold her, right?"

Mavis bit her lip, looking completely terrified for once. "Johnny..."

"I'll help you," Johnny promised reassuringly, and suddenly he had placed the bundle that was their daughter into her arms. "Look at her...she's such a little cutie, right?"

Mavis gave a small stiff nod, eying the now-awake infant in her arms. Lily was peering up at her with interested eyes, and suddenly she was reaching out her hands towards Mavis, as if wanting something...

"See?" Johnny said softly. "She knows who you are, Mavy, and she already loves you."

There was a lump in Mavis' throat as she nodded slowly. "Yeah, I guess she does."

And just like that, the fear had gone; she wasn't being rejected or hated in someway, but she was _needed_... _loved_... Who was she kidding? Mavis wouldn't have been able to stay away from this baby even if she had wanted to.


	30. Epilogue

Five Years Later

The moon rose high that night, full and bright; most of the monsters staying in the Hotel Transylvania were already awake and cheerfully starting their night with a stroll downstairs to breakfast.

Two tiny figures were running down the corridors, giggling and panting: both of them had a soft toy clutched underneath their arms. One - a tiny dark-haired girl - clutched a brown bat plush, while the other - a red-head - clutched a white and pink unicorn.

"No fair, Mina!" The red-haired girl, who was the younger of the two, complained half-heartedly. " _You_ can run _way_ faster than I can because you've got vampire powers!"

Mina gave a small laugh. "It's not _my_ fault you were born human, Lily," She stated, putting her hands on her hips. "Besides, _you_ can do things I can't - like go out in the Sun! I can't do that."

Her younger sister brightened up considerably at this. "Did you hear that, Mister Unicorn?" She asked her toy excitedly. "I can do something that Mina can't!"

"And I can do this," Mina proclaimed before turning into a bat; her Martha-bat fell to the floor with a soft _thump!_ next to the red-head.

Lily pouted. "That's not nice, Mina - Mommy said so! Stop it!"

The older girl laughed and changed back, bending to pick up her bat toy. "Alright, fine, be like that... I'm starving anyway."

Lily grinned mischievously. "Race?!"

Mina beamed and gave a nod. "Race."

As the two proceeded to run down the corridor as fast as they could, once again laughing, they narrowly missed colliding with two older red-haired vampires who were taking a short stroll and holding hands as they chatted.

"Whoooah... Kay then!" The older one - a male - exclaimed, chuckling nervously to himself as he turned to face his girlfriend. "You know, this place just got twice as dangerous with _two_ of them running around."

Lucy grinned. "Try living at our house - it's an actual achievement if you can make it through the whole night without being injured in some way."

Freddie sent her an amused look before they turned their heads to watch the two small girls. "Lily's gotten big...bigger than I would have thought," He said quietly. "It's weird to see her _that_ big because she's only _five_."

"I know," Lucy admitted, looking somewhat sad. "Still, I suppose you could argue that it's better than a whole decade of a crying and screaming baby..." She paused, counting the numbers in her head. "I think she only did that for two or three years."

"And how does the lil' bat get on with her?" The waiter asked, using the nickname he had affectionately given to Mina. "Judging by what I just saw, I'd say pretty well."

The teenaged vampire gave him a crooked grin. "Yeah. You could say that. In fact," Lucy leaned in closer, as if admitting something very top secret and important. "You know that unicorn that Lily carries around? Well, you know how she's been obsessed with unicorns since one visited the hotel last year, so Mina got her the toy as a present."

Freddie grinned. "Huh. And here was me feeling hurt because my Lil' friend wouldn't play with me anymore."

Lucy rolled her eyes at him good-naturedly. "You know, the last time she wanted to play a game you told her that you were busy with _me_... It's not like you don't get attention."

"Yeah, that's true..." The male red-head agreed slowly, giving her a wide-eyed and loving look. "So, apart from the two of them nearly killing everyone - as usual - what else has been up since last month?"

"Not a lot really, apart from trying to prepare for the birthday party tonight." Lucy looked around, as if worried her little sisters would show up again at any minute. "Even though five doesn't seem like a lot to us, we know that every year counts for her."

Freddie nodded in agreement. "I can't even begin to imagine how your parents - and you and your siblings, of course - have managed to stay so...so...so sane and calm about it."

"We have to," Lucy muttered. "We don't want to upset Lily, so we don't talk about what her being human means just yet. Besides-" She brightened up. "At least her birthday parties give us an excuse to come and visit more often, right? Because - being technical - coming here means spending more time with a certain guy..."

Freddie smiled, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Hehe...yeah..."

She wrapped her arms around him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I love you."

And then they both froze at those words - neither of them had technically said them before, especially not in the way that Lucy just had. The waiter stared at her with large brown eyes, utterly shocked and surprised: Lucy, meanwhile, pulled away and started to stutter.

"I...uhm...well...I mean...I just-"

"I love you too," Freddie interrupted softly, giving her a bright smile as he laced his fingers with hers. "Feel like a special breakfast made specially by the chef?"

Lucy grinned. "Well, duh!"

* * *

"Ooh! Grandpa! Grandpa!"

Dracula chuckled as he bent down to greet his youngest granddaughter. "Yes, I'm rather pleased to see you as well, Lily."

Lily gave him a large bright smile; she'd lost a tooth recently, and her gap-toothed grin was rather cute when added with her dimples. "Guess what day it is, Grandpa!"

"Oh, I wonder," Dracula pretended to ponder, giving her a sly smile. "Perhaps... Hanukah? Christmas?" She shook her head, practically buzzing in his arms with excitement. "No? Well then...it must be something important..."

"It's my birthday!" Lily stated, giggling at him. "Guess how old my Daddy said I am? He said I'm five!" She held up her hand to show him. "See?"

There was definitely no doubt that she was Johnny's daughter, Dracula would think: from her bright red messy hair and slightly lanky frame to her brown eyes and freckles, she was certainly a miniature version of the ex-human.

Not to mention that, like her father, she had a certain love of being fun-spirited and adventurous - there were many a time Dracula would find the tiny child somewhere where she really shouldn't have been.

"Ah, of course!" He laughed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "How could I forget, baby wings?"

It was with both sadness and curiousness that he was watching his youngest granddaughter age; while he hated seeing her age so quickly, he was also intrigued by how humans aged, having never actually seen it for himself. It was somewhat interesting to make comparisons to her age against a monster's.

"So, where are your Mommy and Daddy?" Dracula asked, looking around the hallway. "Are they in their rooms?"

Lily shrugged, clearly unsure. "I dunno. I was playing with Mina but then she flew away to see Freddie." She made a face. "He's Lucy's boyfriend, not hers." When Dracula merely raised an eyebrow, she elaborated. "I like him! He's fun to play with and all...but, eww! I wouldn't go out with him or anything!"

_It is amazing how a child's mind works sometimes._

"I'm glad to hear that," He laughed before standing up straight so that he could look down at her properly. "Well, Happy Birthday my little ghoul - I shall see you later, but for now I have business to attend to."

She raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't tell her - it was for her birthday surprise, and of course he wasn't going to ruin it for her.

"Okay," Lily agreed slowly, still clutching her unicorn in her hands. "Can I go and find Auntie Eunice? I want her to do my nails again."

 _Oh, I'm sure Eunice will love that; already corrupting her, I see._ "Of course you can," Dracula agreed, giving her a small nod. "After all, it _is_ your birthday."

As she raced down the corridor, Dracula could only watch after her wistfully; she really was aging too fast for his liking. He still wished, even five years later, that he could have done what he had intended to do, so that she could have lived a long and normal life fit for a monster such as their family - but life was unfair, as he had realized over the past few centuries, and there was nothing that even he - the famous Count Dracula - could do about it.

But Lily was definitely happy as she was, and that was all that mattered in his opinion.

* * *

Safe to say, the party was a success; Lily seemed greatly enamoured by the different fireflies and fireworks making up displays and messages for her (including a picture of a unicorn), and she seemed more than happy to run around with the other children staying at the hotel while the music continued to play.

"She's gotten big," Wayne said to Johnny, quite surprised. "She looks thirty already." Johnny just shrugged. "Well, doesn't it bother you?"

"Ehh...I guess," Johnny admitted. "But...I dunno, I kinda know how humans age already so I kinda know what to expect... Bonus is that she isn't still awake at night crying and screaming like the others were at her age."

Wanda peered over the red-head's shoulder at the older three children and gave a small sigh. "They've all gotten so big; seems like only yesterday they were crawling around like Mavis was."

Frank nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I mean; look at Lucy. She's gotten herself a boyfriend and everything!"

"Hmm...well," Johnny muttered, looking in the direction where his eldest was dancing; she was, of course, with Freddie and the two had their arms tightly locked around each other. "We're still seeing how that goes-"

"After five years?" The voice of Griffin asked suddenly, appearing out of nowhere. "They seem pretty serious for just, 'seeing how it goes'."

"They're zings," Wanda agreed.

The red-haired vampire frowned to himself. "She's still only a hundred and nine, guys, and he's a hundred and thirty five," He mumbled rather bitterly. "There's still loads of time for her to grow up."

"Someone's got a bad case of, 'Overprotective Daddy Syndrome'!" Frank snorted, much to Johnny's displeasure.

"You're turning into Drac!" Griffin chuckled, glasses shaking with laughter (or was he shaking his head? Johnny couldn't tell). "Who'd have thought, hey?"

 _Ha ha._ It was ironic, Johnny thought, that the truth was he could see now why his father-in-law had been so overprotective of Mavis: although, what parent seriously wanted their daughter dating an older dude?

Certainly not Johnny.

Meanwhile, Mavis had been across the room and rejoicing in the chance to catch up with her Uncle Murray and Auntie Eunice.

"God!" Eunice exclaimed loudly, causing a few guests to look at them. "You don't look a day over two hundred! And that's after _four_ kids. How do you do it?"

Mavis just smiled modestly. "I honestly have no idea - maybe I just age well."

"With Dracula blood in your veins," Murray commented, grinning to himself. "Hell yeah!"

Eunice shook her head, still looking rather baffled. "But you've had _four_ kids - and a husband who acts like one! Are you on an aging potion or something, because if you are I want it."

Mavis opened her mouth to answer that, but was cut off by the mummy speaking. "So, how's Lily been? Still aging quickly?" She didn't need to answer because Lily ran past them at that minute, giggling as she chased after Mina playfully. "Right."

"Doesn't if bother you that she's human?" The flesh-golem woman asked her, somewhat confused.

The dark-haired woman shrugged. "I...It doesn't really feel like she's human, really, apart from the aging: she's just like Mina is right now, and she's so _normal_ that we don't even notice it."

Of course it bothered her still - what kind of mother would she be if it didn't bother her? But nowadays Mavis tried not to dwell on it too much, knowing that there wasn't anything to do about it now and what would happen would happen.

"Hey, there's the birthday girl!" Mavis beamed, picking up Lily as she ran towards her. "Happy Birthday, Lils! Having a good birthday?"

Lily nodded giddily. "I really like the unicorn image that the flies make, Mommy - it looks just like mine!" She pointed across the room to where her two eldest siblings were standing and talking. "Lucy and Jack told me that if I'm good then the unicorn may come back and visit me. Do you remember him, Mommy?"

"Oh, yes," Mavis agreed, laughing at how happy she was. "He was a very nice one too - a very good friend of Granpda's actually. And," She added for extra measure. "I know that he enjoyed getting to talk to you too."

Lily went bright red with pleasure, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "Really?!" When Mavis nodded, she grinned even more. "Awesome! I've gotta go and tell Mina - she has to believe me now!"

As the red-haired girl went running through the crowd to find her sister, Mavis watched after her quietly, not quite sure what to say or do at that moment.

"Mavis, sweetie," She heard Eunice say loudly, voice nasally as usual but somewhat softer. A nailed hand rested itself on her shoulder. "She still has plenty of time left, even as a human - don't worry too much about it."

Deep down, Mavis knew that Eunice was right: it didn't make it any less difficult, but just thinking about it would be a start.

* * *

Jack really hadn't wanted yet _another_ sister to have to share his home and family with; but in the end, he was just pleased that she was happy and healthy - even if she was a different species to him.

Of course he had attempted to try and find a way to change her so that she'd live longer, but so far there was nothing: dark magic was irreversible, and he soon realized that trying to fight the inevitable was nothing more than a waste of time.

Still, his research skills weren't completely useless: since Lily had been old enough to talk, she'd loved demanding stories - and who better to tell a story than her bookworm older brother?

"I want..." Lily paused to yawn before continuing. "I want the one about the special princess and her pet unicorn?"

This was, of course, her favourite story to hear - boring for him to tell all of the time, but entertaining for her.

"Alright, fine, one more time". He would always say that: but they both knew that 'one more time' really meant 'again and again and again.'. He didn't mind too much: some of it was guilt, knowing of how short her life was... But it was mainly because, deep down, he really cared about her.

Not that he was about to admit that out loud, of course.

* * *

"She's out cold," Johnny muttered as he returned to their bedroom. Mavis was on the bed, flipping through the latest copy of _Monsters_ lazily and relaxing. "I think she's had a pretty good birthday."

"She always does," Mavis agreed, smiling to herself. "What kid wouldn't, though, in this hotel? It's like heaven for a small kid like her, human or monster." She closed the magazine and looked up at her husband. "I saw the way you were looking at Lu's boyfriend at the party, you know: you couldn't make the poor man feel any more nervous or shy, could you?"

Johnny held his hands up defensively. "Hey, when he's dating our daughter I have a right to make him feel like that, okay? Besides," He snorted. "At least I haven't threatened to suck his blood out like _your_ Dad did."

The dark-haired vampire just sent him a bemused look, shaking her head at him good-naturedly. "Freddie is a really nice guy from what I've heard, you know: he's really good with Mina and Lily, and the way he looks at Lucy..." She smiled reminiscently. "I think it's clear he thinks the world of her."

"Yeah, well," Her husband muttered as he flopped backwards onto the bed. "Lu's still only a hundred and nine, and until she's an adult I think we should keep an eye on that kid...just in case."

Mavis rolled her eyes but didn't comment further. "Do _you_ think Lily enjoyed her birthday?"

"Well, if the puffs of smoke-unicorns we made were anything to go by, then yeah: definitely," Johnny agreed, suddenly cheering up considerably better. "It's weird, though, knowing that this is the last time we'll celebrate a kid getting to this age..."

"You are not seriously considering it," Mavis said in disbelief.

He shrugged. "Nah, not really. It's just weird, you know, 'cause I'm so used to all my brothers' birthdays and all that...Just weird," He repeated uselessly. "Besides, you said that we can't-"

"I said that we probably wouldn't be able to," She corrected. "It's not definite, you know... Why?" She sent him a look, quite intrigued. "I thought we agreed that _three_ was enough until Lily came along. I don't think we can handle anymore, Johnny."

"I know," He admitted, nodding his head somewhat sadly. "But that's cool, I guess. You can't get any better than perfection when it comes to the kids, right? I guess I was just thinking 'what if' really."

Mavis sighed. "I know. I think that sometimes too - which is weird because I don't particularly want to go through it all again. Maybe it's just a small thought plaguing my brain."

"Same," Johnny agreed, wrapping an arm around her.

They smiled at each other, glad to have reached a mutual agreement on the matter: honestly, four children were more than enough for them, and they wouldn't have had it any other way really.

No; with four children and each other, where could they go wrong?


End file.
